


Jump's Phantom.

by Phantom7201



Category: Danny Phantom, Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Implied Sexual Content, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-09-22 09:53:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 50,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9602543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantom7201/pseuds/Phantom7201
Summary: Danny's running. From what? The government. After being held in the GiW facility, he doesn't want to go back.Though when he meets five teens in Jump City, will he be able to leave, or will his obsession to protect keep him there?





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are their thoughts! 
> 
> And if you'd like me to make more chapters of this story, I have some ready and written. I just have to know what you guys what! Enjoy~!

Danny shivered, breath coming out in white puffs of air. For once, it wasn't from his ghost sense, but from the freezing cold that nipped around him, from the rain that fell from the darkness of the sky, and the wind that blew past.

_He'll find some way out of this, right?_

Danny only snorted in amusement. Yeah, GiW following him everywhere he went. His family? Gone. And he definitely couldn't go to Vlad, that was the worst thing he could ever do.

_It's kind of... nice._

No hero duties, no school, no one counting on him to do the right thing and take things into his own hands. He feels.. _free._

\-------------One Year Later----------  
  
Robin's POV:

I jumped over a rooftop of Jump City. The city was lit up, like it always was. The stars hard to see unless you knew where to look, moon shining allowing some light. That reminds me, criminals are nocturnal. Throwing a Batarang, I knocked the crowbar out of the robber's grip, and it clattered to the floor, dust building up underneath it. Yuck, they really don't clean alley way's.

"I don't want any trouble." The man stammered, backing away.

I dropped down behind him, hidden by the shadows around me. "You should've thought of that before you committed the crime." I revealed myself to the man, then immediately sprinted at him, giving him no chance to escape. His high kick hits the mark, and slides the burglar back five yards or so. Backing up a little, I blocked the sloppy punches aimed at my head before delivering a chop to his stomach, and a kick to his chest. Bounding up a wall, I pushed away for a boost upward. The momentum carries me over the criminal's shoulders, as I grab him for a solid body slam, throwing him to the ground. Walking towards him, I threw him against the wall, where he slides down, half knocked out.

"Hey! This isn't your town!" The man shouts once he recognizes me by my old sidekick status. "Aren't you supposed to be with-"  
  
"Just moved here." I growled, staring at the man. "And from now on, I work alone."

\--------------------  
  
Danny's POV:

Kicking a stray rock, I had sat down on a curb, my stomach complaining with every movement.

I couldn't be blamed, as I haven't eaten since I had escaped, and probably before that. I had refused to steal anything, and being on the run doesn't help with getting a job.

Stomach rumbling again, I barely had any time to register that someone had walked up to me and spoken to me.

"Yo, kid? You there?" A rough voice snapped me out of my hungry filled thoughts.   
  
Startled, I looked up. The teen had a burger in one hand, and had been tapping his foot impatiently. My stomach rumbled, and I blushed, avoiding eye contact.  
  
The teen scoffed. "Dude, I could hear your stomach rumble a mile away. You need this more than I do." He held out the burger, willing me to take it.

Eyeing him cautiously for any sort of trick, I had lightly took the burger, inspecting it. Looking back up ready to thank the teen, he had disappeared. Shrugging, I curiously sniffed the burger- _Oh god, did it smell good!_ Taking a small bite, I groaned in satisfaction.  _Man, it tastes delicious!_ Finishing the burger off quickly, I smiled. The teen may have been mysterious, but everyone has their own secrets. Even myself.

Hearing ruckus from above, I watched as a meter- no, that's not what it was.. well, whatever it was- fly across the sky, landing near the parlor. Sitting here I debated for a minute. Go and possibly get discovered, or sit here and relax? Huffing, I got up. Yeah, like I'm skipping out on some action. _Well, on the plus side, there's ought be pizza._

\---------------------  
  
Robin's POV:

I watched as the column buckled farther and farther on each hit, and the last one caused it to give way significantly. With the support compromised, the balcony fractures along the edge where it joins the rest of the building; the people thrown to the railing as it tilts toward the street. Eyes calculating every movement, I glared as she was ready to strike the beam once again. I had chosen this time to throw my birdarang, hitting her squarely in the side of her crown and knocks her completely off balance. Stopping near the column she has just pulverized, she glared back towards me, with threatening little growl. With arms tucked into my cape, which is draped around his shoulders; for added effect, I threw it back, bracing for a attack. "Who are you?" I barked out, hands nearing my belt in anticipation.

Instead of answering, she came up into a leap that carries her all the way across the street, leading into an asphalt-wrecking downward swing. I jumped clear just in the nick of time and touched down in a backward skid, but one roundhouse after another from the girl forced me to keep bobbing and weaving, avoiding the attacks. The girl hooked one foot under the chassis of a nearby car, and effortlessly kicked it towards me, which under instincts, threw myself flat. _No thanks on getting hit.._ he chuckled on his thought. The car sails in a low, level, lightning fast trajectory down the block and explodes against the building at its end, and Robin stands up to eye the spot.

"Hm. Stronger than she looks." I muttered.

I faced forward, the girl hitting me hard across the jaw. _Ow.._ A flash, and I skid all the way to the trashed pizza joint, only to find the girl jumping in for another hit even before I could get to my feet. Hitting nothing but air this time, I dived away, pulling out my bo staff, and had extended it to full length. _Time for some real action._ I had immediately switched from Defensive to Offensive on the first chance I got, landing a head shot that propels the girl into a car parked fifty yards or so away. I slowly stepped up, twirling the staff. To my surprise, it crumbles in my hand.

"Huh?" I mumbled, staring at my now-empty hands.   
  
"Zota." Was the girl's simple reply.  The girl went in for another jumping strike, yet before she strike a hit, a green bighorn sheep bounds in, and rams her broadside at full speed.

The sheep then transformed into human form, grinning. "Ex-Doom patrol member Beast Boy, sir! How can I help?" Danny rolled his eyes as the kid's eyes popped. "Wowzers! You're Robin, aren't you, sir?"  
  
I frowned. "Well, you can start by not calling me sir." I muttered, staring at the newcomer.   
  
Beast Boy grinned in excitement. "Well, let me just say that it's a real honor to be-"  
  
"Beast Boy, was it?" I interrupted, staring behind him.   
  
"Yes, sir?" He asked. I pointed behind him, and he traced where I had pointed, the teens mask widened. Before either of us could do a thing to dodge the bus hurtling at us, a blinding white light came out of nowhere, then- something that couldn't be seen- grabbed me and Beast Boy, lifting us into the air to avoid the bus.

Lightly setting us down, Beast Boy had one thing to say; "Dude!" he shouted suddenly, the invisible being suddenly appeared, seemingly startled from Beast Boy's loud shriek.

Danny's POV:  
  
Startled, I had dropped my invisibility, eyeing the green being warily. Choosing to ignore them, I turned back to where the bus was thrown, I saw the guy who had given me a hamburger earlier, holding the bus by the bumper in the air. The teen easily tossed the bus to the side, it kicking up dust. "Yo! Who's here messing up my neighborhood?"  
  
"She started it!" Beast Boy yelled pointing at the alien girl, the other teen rolling their eyes.

The old resolve returns to the girls steps and face as she approaches, and she brings both arms up and delivers one thundering blow to the pavement; all three boys are nearly dumped flat by the tremors, me being smart and cocky enough to float to avoid the attack. When the girl points her hands straight ahead, I noticed that the hand ends of the restraints had fallen off, the energy of her bolts flickers to life. _Oh no..._ The girl started firing, and the boys on the ground race through the green blasts, Beast Boy nearly getting his foot shot off in the process, _haha.. amusement for the day_  and I had barely managed to shield myself from the blasts. _Too close for comfort.._ The angry girl's blasts rip into the surrounding buildings, parked cars, a neon billboard, and everything within at least half a mile, had tasted her rage. After that, the girl slumped to her knee's, clearly exhausted.

I had slowly let my shield drop, and warily floated down next to the other teen's, who had taken cover behind the fallen bus, surprising the three teens. "Girl's gonna wreck the whole city." Hood muttered sourly, glancing at solo.  
  
Robin glared into his palm. "I won't let her. I won't lose this fight."

The three charged as if it were an order, leaving me behind confused on what was going on. Stepping out, I was quite surprised to face a black barrier blocking our path harmlessly. "Maybe... fighting isn't the answer?" The girl asked hesitantly.  
  
After a short pause, I had finally spoke, renouncing my presence, startling the teenagers. _This was getting tiring_. "Stand down." I ordered, my voice firm.

"What, you think you the boss or something?" Hood growled, fists clenched.   
  
_And he seemed like such a nice guy.._ "Get out of the way." I growled. Ignoring the protests, I shoved the teen out of the way, and had made my way over to the alien girl, who immediately went on the defensive, hands lit up in green energy. "Easy." I muttered, showing her I had meant no harm. "My name is D-Phantom, and I don't want to hurt you." I showed her how my hands changed from visible to invisible, startling her.

"Gokta! Gokta buhovna!" She shouted angrily, clearly not expecting my hands to just disappear in front of her.

"It's okay, look." Easing my hands down onto the cuffs, I turned my hands intangible, and let the cuffs drop down to the ground, as she rubbed her writs, no doubt from the cuffs digging into her skin.

Unconsciously rubbing own wrists- not going unnoticed by the boy wonder- I grinned at the girl. "There. Now maybe you can-" Eyes widening in surprise, I realized with surprise she was kissing me. Me of all people.. I was pushed to the ground with little force applied.  
  
"If you wish not to be destroyed, you will leave me alone!" She yelled, then flew off.

"...Not blast me..." I finished, staring in confusion at the place the girl was just in.  
  
"So... I'm Beast Boy, who are you?" The green changeling asked, question clearly directed to me, cloak, and hood.

"Well, whoever she was, girl sure knows how to make an impression." Hood muttered, staring at the shocked teen on the ground.  
  
I nodded in agreement.  Slowly getting up off the floor, I dusted myself off. "Oh yeah." I muttered, casting a glance towards the quiet Boy Wonder.  
   
Beast Boy grinned. "I think we made a pretty good impression. Crazy space girl's gone, the city's saved, mission accomplished! Right, sir?"  
  
Robin frowned. "Seriously, stop calling me that."  
  
Beast Boy saluted him. "Roger."  
  
"Looks like we're done here. I appreciate the help." Robin started walking.  
  
"You're gonna track down the alien?"

"I have to find out if she's a threat." Robin muttered, continuing to walk.  
  
Phantom snorted. "More like find out if she'll give him a kiss."  
  
Beast Boy ran to catch up. "Hey, sir- I mean, Robin, do you.. maybe..-"  
  
Robin held up his hand, a stern gaze directed at the green changeling. "Sorry. I just went solo. I'm not really looking to join a team."

"...Need a sidekick..?" Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head, then turned to face the rest of us, though panicked when we turned, ready to walk away just as Robin had.  
  
"You guys wanna get a pizza?" He asked hopefully.  
  
"I really shouldn't." I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck nervously under the young teen's pleading eyes.

Beast boy turned to Raven. "Raven?"   
  
"I shouldn't.." She answered, walking away silently.

Watching Raven walk away, I turned towards Robin. The teen had his back faced to me, allowing the small chance to study him. The boy's raven black hair reminded me of someone, and I couldn't get the thought out of my head.   
  
"There! Take a good long look!" Startling me and apparently Robin, we glanced over at the duo. "I had an accident, and now I'm a monster, all right? A Cyborg."  
  
"Cyborg?! Cool! You're like Robot man 2.0!" Beast Boy shrieked excitedly, running around the newly dubbed Cyborg.   
  
"You're a weird little dude, you know that?" Hood muttered, pulling his hood back up, walking away from the changeling. 

"Where are you headed?" Robin questioned, eyes narrowed under his mask.

"Anywhere." My answer was guarded, and Robin noticed that small fact, frowning.  
  
"Duuuuuuuuuddeeeeee!" Beast Boy yelled as a black shadow cast over the five teenagers.

"Looks like space girl has friends." Cyborg muttered, as they all grouped up.

Robin and I glanced at each other, before making our way over. "Or enemy's." Robin muttered.   
  
"People of Earth. We come to your planet hunting an escaped prisoner. A very dangerous prisoner. Do not interfere, and we will leave your city with only minimal damage. But if you attempt to assist her, your destruction will be absolute." The hologram disappeared, leaving the five teenagers staring at nothing.

"That's a big ship.." I mumbled, glancing up as the ship cast a shadow over us, aliens flying out of it.   
  
"And those are some scary looking aliens." Beast Boy murmured, staring wide eyed at the aliens.

Raven walked up behind us. "They told us not to interfere."  
  
Cyborg scoffed. "You're still going after her, aren't you?" He turned to face Robin, who only nodded in agreement.  
  
"Can we come too?" Beast Boy asked hopefully.  
  
Robin smiled. "I suppose I could team up. Just this once. You in?" Robin questioned, facing Raven.

"I'm not the hero type.." She muttered. "Trust me, if you knew what I really am," She turned around. "You wouldn't want me around."

Robin stopped her. "I know enough."   
  
Robin's POV:  
  
Grinning, I turned towards Phantom.  "Pha-" Turning to where he last was, Robin stuttered. "He's gone." 

\--------------------

Peeking out of an alley way we had hidden in, I turned. "All right, we need a way to track-"  
  
"She's near." Was Raven's simple reply, interrupting what I was going to say, the others minus Phantom- who currently was still missing- turned to her in confusion.  
  
"I can sense things.." She answered hesitantly.  
  
Beast Boy grinned. "I'll see if I can pick up her scent." He turned into a blood hound, sniffing the ground.  
  
"There's a sonic analyzer built into my arm. If she's around, I'll hear it." Cyborg added, moving up his jacket sleeve showing them the analyzer.  
  
I nodded. "Good.  
  
"I've got her trail!" Beast Boy shouted.

"And I can hear her heart beat." Cyborg added.

We followed the two teens, leading us to a video store. Raising my eyebrows, I slowly walked in, the rest of the teens following, and I had to dodge a popcorn kernel.  
  
"Uhhh.. those taste better without the wrapper." Beast Boy advised the girl.

The girl turned, forming bolts. "It's all right!" I assured, hands raised. "We're friends, remember?"  
  
"Friends?" She walked foreword, and the teens stepped back. "Why? For what purpose did that boy free me?" She asked, a dangerous gleam in her eyes.  
  
"Just, trying to be nice." I answered.  
  
"Nice? We do not have this word on my planet. Closest is Rutha!" Her eyes narrowed. "Weak."  
  
Cyborg frowned. "Well, around here, nice means nice. And if you want us to keep being nice, you better tell us why the Lizard king took you prisoner."  
  
The girl lowered her defenses. "Not prisoner. I am, prize. The Gordainian's deliver me to the citadel, to live out my days as their servant."  
  
"And the Citadel are...?" Raven asked.  
  
"Not nice." She replied.

I growled. "Then you're not going with them. Not if I have anything to say about it."

Beast Boy walked up beside me, frowning. "Um, don't you mean we?"  
  
Unexpectedly, a wall blasted open, tossing the teens to the ground. "Cease her!" An alien yelled, and they all went in to attack, Cyborg getting the first hit, and Beast Boy turned into a Rhino.

Green bolts were fired from behind us, the missing Phantom appearing, the wielder of these green bolts. "Get away from them! Get AWAY!" With the last word, Phantom had let out a wail of some sort, knocking the aliens backwards, as the powered teens held their arms out, trying to stand strong against the earsplitting sound. Once finished, Phantom dropped to the floor in exhaustion, as the remaining Gordanians fled.  
  
"Aw man, my suit." Cyborg muttered, leering down at the shredded hoodie.  
  
"So? You look way cooler without it." Beast Boy encouraged, grinning.   
  
"Yeah, like I'm taking fashion advice from the guy in the goofy mask." Cyborg shot back, frowning.

Walking over to Phantom, I lightly pulled him up to his feet, getting a nod of thanks. I nodded back to the teen. 

"Goofy? My mask is cool. Isn't it? Raven? Phantom?" We each shook our heads, and Beast Boy deflated. "But.. what about my secret identify?" He muttered in defeat.  
  
Phantom blinked in confusion. "Beast Boy, what secret identify, exactly?"  
  
Raven shook her head in amusement. "You're green."  
  
Beast Boy, who was unable to come up with a good argument, finally took off his mask.  
  
Shaking my head in amusement, I walked up next to the teens, arms crossed. "This isn't over. Now that we've interfered..."  
  
The girl cut me off. "They'll strike harder. It is only a matter of time-"  
  
"Fools! The Earth scum were warned. Your insolence will be punished! Your city shall be destroyed!"  
  
A big ship came into view, and a weapon fired up. "Great.." Raven mumbled. Sarcastically.

\--------------  
  
Reader's POV:

"So, after trashing a pizza place and a perfectly good video store, now we've managed to make a humongous space gecko mad enough to vaporize our entire town?" Beast Boy asked.

"Go team." Cyborg muttered sourly.

The girl turned to Phantom. "All the fault is yours! I commanded you leave me alone, but you insisted upon the being nice!"

"My fault?!" Phantom glared at the girl in anger. "You blast me, you kiss me-"

"Don't forget to mention that she forget to mention that they have a _gigantic particle weapon!_ " Robin waved his arms in anger, doing his best to hold back.

"We are doomed!" Beast Boy yelled turning to Cyborg. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this!"

Cyborg growled. "Say what?!? I was ready to walk before you-"

"QUIET!!" Raven shouted.  Regretting the yell, she waved timidly. "Hi."

"Look. It doesn't matter how we got into this mess." Phantom muttered.  
  
"We're in it, and we will get out of it-together. Come on. We've got a city to save." Robin walked away, the others following.

\----------------------------

Beast Boy shuddered. "That dark energy stuff gives me the-" Raven edged closer giveing him a slightly annoyed glare. "Uh.." Beast boy gave a thumbs up as sweat dropped down his head.  "...I mean, it's cool!"

"We have to get to the firing controls. There isn't much time." Robin stepped out, the rest of the group following, until Phantom and Cyborg noticed Raven lagged behind.

"Mind telling me why you're always by yourself?" Cyborg questioned.

Raven frowned. "You heard the kid. I don't exactly fit in."

Phantom Scoffed. "He's green, I'm dead, he's a cyborg, and she's from space."

"You fit in just fine." Cyborg assured her, as they caught up with the group.

"I bring you...apology." The girl muttered to Robin and Phantom.

Phantom only waved away the apology.   
  
Robin glared at Phantom, before turning to her. "I'm sorry I yelled, too."

"And again, you are...nice. On my world, only my k'norfka has shown me such kindness."

Robin grinned. "Well, things are different here."

"Uh, guys?" Beast Boy asked. "I think they know we're here.."

\--------------

"---It takes more than six juvenile hero's to defy the mighty lord Trogaar!" The being in the chair yelled, puffing out his chest proudly.

"We're not six heroes. We're one team." Robin announced, as the others came up to join him. Trogaar immediately ditched his triumphant smile in favor of an enraged growl. Robin leads the charge for his side and gets in the first hit, a flying kick that nearly snaps a scaly neck. Cyborg slams both fists to the floor, throwing out a sheet of energy to blast others off their feet. Beast Boy, as a kangaroo, kicks two in the gut full force. The girl delivers a supercharged uppercut that sends her enemy crashing to the deck, Phantom blasting a few enemy's down. Beast Boy in human form turned back into a marsupial, just in time to kick one Gordanian away and lash another with his heavy tail, then becomes himself again.

Trogaar, surprising the unsuspecting Beast Boy, leaps in close, smashing both arms against the deck close enough to send him flying backward with a yell. The only thing that stops his momentum is an inconveniently placed wall; he slides down it and ends up on the floor in a heap. Here comes the Gordanian lord again, roaring and ready to beat him, yet Phantom popped up from the floor and threw up a small green shield. One punch after another whumps into it as Phantom backs up slowly toward the wall, Phantom's knees buckling. The Gordanian finally batters through the defense and prepares to flatten them both, once again stopped, this time by Robin's leap onto his shoulders with a battle cry; the surprise attack leaves Trogaar stumbling backward past an underling who has locked up with Cyborg.

After some moments, Robin is wrenched free and hurled across the deck. Robin managed to turn the tumble into a flip, and land in a crouch. It takes him only the fraction of a second to leap back into the fray, and delivers a crushing left jab that rocks Trogaar off his feet, throwing him off balance.  Even before the latter can hit the floor, he is bashed in a different direction by a steel-soled spin kick, and Robin instantly starts into a new move.

Now it is Robin's turn to be caught out when the massive hands wrap themselves around his midsection, and he is hurled past Phantom who had risen up from the floor once again, into the far wall behind the captain's chair. "Robin!" Phantom called out in slight worry. No time to worry about the boy wonder further, Trogaar is on his way across the deck towards him. Warming up an ecto blast as he lifts off, he lets go with a string of shots that tears into the deck on the way toward the Gordanian. The Gordanian is lost under the glare and smoke for a moment, but leaps out of it intact, and madder than ever, and bears Phantom to the floor. The giant hand lifts Phantom high and slams the ghost down again, as he struggles to break the Gordanian's hold for a moment. Turning intangible going through the floor, Phantom muttered something about 'gonna hurt' and 'tomorrow'.

As he backs up cautiously from the female used-to-be prisoner, who has turned out to be far more trouble than she is worth, Cyborg rushes across from a pile of unconscious Gordanians. The bionic right lands a haymaker to the boss' jaw, and the slugger lands in front of the alien girl so both can move in together. Trogaar takes a merciless flurry of high-octane punches to all his sore spots, but even this is not enough to put him out of business. He comes back with a three hit combination that sends both adversary's across the bridge toward the still down Robin.

Cyborg landed on the floor with his right arm, the panels of the built-in sonic analyzer are jolted open for a moment. Now all three peel themselves up.

"Can you rewire that into some sort of weapon?" Robin questioned, getting up, fondling his right arm.  
  
"I can try." Cyborg nodded, about to bring up his arms..

Before any of them can react, Trogaar and the still-conscious Gordanians have moved to hem them in. Yet, they get distracted by Raven, supporting Beast Boy. Raven growled. "Get away from my friends! Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Her spell causes most of the bridge to disappear in an explosion, the craft, now out of control and plummeted toward Jump City Bay. The deck was littered with insensate Gordanians, and an awakening Trogaar. Beast Boy and Raven found themselves in his broad approaching shadow, and he extends the claws on one hand to full length and lifts that hand, all set to destroy the teens. Once more, though, his deed is stopped cold, in this case, by a brilliant blue-white and green flash from behind that connects squarely with his back, knocking him over, Phantom and Cyborg pointing at him, Cyborg  grinning victoriously, Phantom scowling.

Cyborg powered down. "All right, I'm only gonna say this once." He grinned. "Boo-yah!"

Danny only looked out in the bay, voicing his thoughts. "That's quite a view."

Cyborg nodded. "Somebody oughta build a house out here."

Beast Boy smiled, nudging Raven. "Yeah, if you like sunshine, and the beach."

Raven chuckled softly. "You know, you're kind of funny."

Beast Boy perked up. "You think I'm funny?" He grinned. "Dude! I know some jokes!"

Those last four words are enough to unnerve her considerably, a sweat drop sliding down her temple, and one eyebrow twitching a bit.

"Please." They all turned to face the girl. "I look.. nice?"  
  
Robin smiled. "I still don't know your name."  
  
"In your language it would be Star-Fire."  
  
"Welcome to Earth, Starfire." Robin welcomed, facing the now named Starfire.   
  
"I thank you all for your bravery and help, and I wish to ask permission...to remain here. Where the people are most strange... but also most kind." Starfire asked politely, smiling.

"You don't need our permission." Raven assured.

"But if you want our friendship, you've got it." Robin smiled.

"Guess we could all use some new friends." Cyborg muttered.

Beast Boy nodded in agreement. "Besides, we kind of made a good team."

"I thought we might want to keep in touch-" Phantom turned to watch curiously as Robin fished for something in his belt. "-so Cyborg and I designed these." Robin held out four communicators. Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy taking one.  
  
"Made em' out of my own circuits." Cyborg stated proudly.  
  
They looked up at Phantom hopefully, who shook his head. "I'm too dangerous to be around. You five will be in constant danger. I'm going to have to decline, I'm sorry."   
  
Robin only huffed, then did the only thing that none of them expected. Robin hugged him. Hugged Phantom. "Wha- ophff!" Phantom was immediately crushed with two other bodies hugging him, Raven floating behind them, Starfire staring in curiosity.

"What are you doing?" He asked, looking down at the three teens.

Robin only shrugged, grinning. Beast Boy made sure to keep his best hopeful gaze on, and swished his tail. Cyborg grinned at the teen, making sure he couldn't escape his grip.

Phantom only sighed, glancing at the communicator. "Can you use it to track me?"  
  
"Not unless you send a distress signal." Cyborg assured.

Finally, Phantom took the communicator, allowing us to release him.

Robin grinned. "When there's trouble, you know who to call."

Phantom nodded, and took off, leaving the five teens to stand alone on the island.

"So, who wants pizza?" Beast Boy asked.  
  
Cyborg shrugged. "I could go for some pizza."

"Why not?" Raven asked.  
  
"Oh please, what is this pizza you speak of?" Star asked.  
  
Robin grinned. "Let's eat."

\--------------  
  
Danny's POV:  
  
Touching down somewhere near the parlor, I changed into human form, glancing down at the communicator. What was I thinking? I wouldn't be of any use to them, and I wouldn't dare drag them into my own problems. I couldn't. Sighing, I pocketed the yellow device, and headed towards the parlor, surprised when I noticed the other's sitting at the pizza parlor.

"Hey kid," Cyborg waved me over, as I froze, scared for a moment he recognized me. "You're the one I ran into earlier, right? This morning?"  
  
I nodded, and Cyborg waved me over. Hesitantly walking over, I glanced over at him in silent question. Cyborg grinned. "Here," He slid over a pizza slice, and my eyes widened in surprise. Cyborg chuckled. "You need it anyway."  
  
Robin nodded next to him. "Cyborg was just talking about you."  
  
"How long have you been on the streets?" Beast Boy asked excitedly, only for Raven to slap him upside the head. "Ow!" He whined, emitting a chuckle from me.

Grinning, I gave them a small answer of; "Let's just say for a while." Taking the offered pizza slice, I left them alone, walking to the curb, I had sat down.  
  
Carefully pulling out the communicator, I grinned. Maybe.. Maybe sticking around for a while wouldn't be such a bad idea.


	2. Chapter 2

"Found it! Jump City, area 17."  
  
"On it, Agent F. ETA 5 minutes."  
  
"Good. Let's capture this freak."  
  
\-------------

Phantom groaned, rubbing his head. Getting hit with a bat was not the highlight of his day, and that's saying something. Hovering in the air, he turned, watching the robber take off. Smirking in amusement, Danny blasted off, turning invisible. Hovering over the robber, Danny took the bat, snapping it in half, dropping it at his feet. Watching the man fumble for another weapon, Danny floated closer. "Boo."  
  
"AHH!" The Robber dropped all attempts at defense, and raced out of the building, begging the cops to take him away from the 'scary' ghost.  
  
Grinning, he left the scene, flying overhead. Not paying any attention, a bright green blast came out of nowhere, slamming into his side. "Oh no.." Danny muttered, glancing over at the helicopter that flew overhead. Eyes widening, he flew off quickly, diving into the ground, leaving no trace.  
  
\-------------Two day's later----------------

Hiding in the sewers had been a brilliant plan, though, he was not so excited about the smell. He led the agents on a wild goose chase through the sewers when they followed him, and they had finally given up after two days when Danny had blocked their paths numerous times, frustrating them to no end.

Smirking, Danny turned into another tunnel, though stopping in surprise to see a steady flow of the moonlight from above. _Aren't sewers supposed to be, you know, underground?_ Frowning, Danny made his way over to the opening, eyes narrowed, ready for an attack from the GiW. Pushing some of the rubble out of his way, he was startled to see Robin laying there, covered in dust, eyes closed.  
  
Checking his leader's pulse, Danny was satisfied. It was still there. Removing Robin from the rubble, he lightly lay him on the ground, sitting next to him, not allowing himself to leave until he knew the teen was okay.   
  
Robin groaned in his sleep, turning to his side, grabbing Danny's arm in a tight grip, startling the teen. _Must think I'm a pillow_. "Robin, it's time to wake up now." Danny murmured, face flushed. _He was so not used to close contact._ Danny lightly shook the boy wonder, awakening him.

"Where are we?" Robin asked once he finally awoke, not realizing he was gripping someone's arm.  
  
"First can you release my arm, question's later?" Phantom questioned, a green blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Oh, uh, yeah!" Robin released his arm, scooting away. "Wait, you blush green?" Robin asked with a playful smirk.

"Shuddup!" Phantom muttered in embarrassment, pulling up his black hoodie he had found laying on the street earlier that day.  
  
Robin only grinned. "I think it's kind of cute. Let's go."  
  
Phantom stuttered for a moment, before regaining his words. "Go where?"  
  
"Save the other titan's butts again. Besides, I think you'll have a little fun while doing this." Robin smirked, as Danny raised an eyebrow.

\----------------------------  
  
_Man, I'm so going to enjoy this.._ Danny thought, watching the villains redecorating Titan's tower. "Higher." Spider-boy ordered, hands in the air, Cyborg's arm on his wall. "A little to the left. A little more. Perfect." The kid gave them a thumbs up, Danny shivering.  _Reminds me of someone._

"Slade's gonna have kitten's when he hears we whipped the Titan's AND took their stinking tower." _Slade? Who was Slade?_   Danny turned towards the others, Smelly digging through the fridge, Crazy hair walking down the stairs holding Raven's cloak. _Oh god, Raven's gonna be so ticked.._

"Not to mention Robin's favorite fashion statement, but that's the only thing fashionable around here.." She eyed the cloak and sighed with contempt. _I was wondering where Robin's belt was.._ Danny growled in anger.

"Tell me about it," Smelly pulled a blue furry hamburger out of the fridge. _And just lost my appetite.._ "All their food is way out of date." This apparently, did not stop him from downing the hamburger in one gulp.

"You think that stuff's rotten?" Danny turned to see Spider Boy digging through Beast Boy's music disk's. _Hey, he did visit!_ _Sometimes_.. _Okay, once!_   "Wait'll you see their music. Crud!" He tossed the DVD to the side. "Snot. Mega Crud. Snot."

\---------Reader's POV--------  
  
"Does she have anything that's not blue?" CH asked, glancing down at Raven's cape, clearly disgusted in Raven's choice of clothing.

The security system suddenly went off, and Danny took this time to distract the three teens. The girl gasped, throwing the cloak aside, as Smelly stood up, the cabinet doors opening in closing thanks' to Cyborg's arm. Danny grins, and moves to where Spider-boy was watching with interest, and threw the CD's at him. "Hey!" Was the only intelligible word he got out before trailing off into surprised yells, losing his balance to tumble onto the floor. He slid backwards as Danny continues to use the kid for target practice. "What the hairball?" The kid shouted, taking cover. Danny watched as the chair of the nearest console swivels to give them a good look at the arm occupying it; as the kid cries out in surprise and fear.

The tentacles have retracted, but now they shoot forth again and wrap around his arms and legs. The bionic limb jumps down and speeds across the floor, dragging one very surprised pipsqueak, and pops a couple of small jet thrusters out from the forearm. They ignite and carry the arm into the air; the hand balls into a fist as the arm aims itself toward the ceiling and carries Gizmo up with it, the kid crying out in fear all the way up.

Back in the kitchen, a large shadowy hand reaches down behind Jinx and seizes her. She has time for one startled cry before it recedes into the ceiling and takes her with it. _The sort of thing only Raven could do,_  Danny mused.

The big lug is left standing by himself; the side door opens on its own, and Danny managed to form a quick Ectoblast mixing into a Starbolt, hitting him square in the stomach, sending him through the door, into the elevator.

Phasing through the ceiling, Danny grinned as a large black raven emerged from the surface, leaving Jinx there to drop to her knees.

Behind Jinx, Cyborg's arm busted out of a vent pipe and carries the screaming Gizmo higher and higher before veering back toward his classmate. She gasped in shock as her eyes widened just before she was hit head on, as both roll halfway across the roof.

Having released Gizmo, the arm flies away, and the closed door of the elevator leading up slide open. A green flash of a starbolt plays across the screen, and Mammoth is blasted out onto the roof.

Robin's hand was already outstretched, belt neatly landing in it. "Sorry to interrupt the victory celebration. But like I said. This isn't over." Arms crossed, Robin glared.

"It's just getting started." Cyborg put his hand back on, grinning.  
  
"Attack Pattern Alpha!" Crazy shouted.

Gizmo and Mammoth scattered while she shouted and threw a spell. The Titans scramble to avoid it; when it hit the rooftop, a panel swells and explodes.

Beast Boy came down from his jump only to find Mammoth coming straight at him. He jumps away again and turns into a hawk as the giant slams his fist down on the roof and sends a shock wave toward Cyborg.

Jinx lands behind the latter and vaults high over his shoulders, hurling a spell down at him as she sails through the air. It knocked out the base of a water tank and causes the whole thing to topple toward Cyborg, who gets out of the way just in time before a second tank collapses nearby.

Starfire was in midair, throwing a few starbolts, Danny fighting along side her with his own barely noticeable ectoblasts. Crazy hair nimbly dodged them, and ducked out of sight behind part of the new construction.

Starfire and Danny flew in after her, Danny remaining invisible.

Cyborg, meanwhile, looked around himself a bit. All clear-but that changed in an instant when Gizmo jumped down from a fallen water tank and lands on his back.  
  
"Hey, Robo-Wimp." He pulled out his tool. "Feel like getting hacked?"  
  
"Nope. How 'bout you? Robin! Now!"

Robin in mid-leap threw a small device, attaching itself to the machinery on Gizmo's back, sparks flying as he yells in pain and frustration. Robin dropped back to the roof.

The kid was running around, trying to pull the disk off. "Cut it out! It's gonna crash my whole system!" He ripped off his shoulder mounted laser. "Get it off me! Get it off me!"  
  
Robin's device triggered the jet pack, carrying him off the roof.

Jinx runs like mad to avoid getting fried by Starfire's and Danny's attacks. "Beast Boy! Go!" Starfire yelled.

Beast Boy was back in human form, crouching on an overhead girder to watch Jinx. Flipping Starfire a hand sign in acknowledgement, he dived from his perch and transformed into a monkey, coming down squarely on the face of the fleeing girl who has made her way into a framework of pipes. Unable to see, she fires spells in all directions in an attempt to get him off. Finally she gets all ten fingers into the game, yanks him away, and throws him across the roof. He reverts to human form before touching down. "Your luck had just run out!" Getting a running start, he again became a hawk and flew into the open sky.

"Huh?" Asked a very puzzled Jinx from below.

Creaks and groans from the pipework draw her attention as one after another, the joints start to pop, having been hit by the spells she was casting every which way. One pipe burst and started spewing water and steam, as she released the sound of a nervous little shudder is all she can manage as more lines rupture and collapse around her.

From here, Mammoth was advancing on Raven. He aimed a punch at her, but she flies up to avoid it and comes down behind him.

When he turns to charge again, Cyborg rams a shoulder into him. It takes some time for him to touch down on the roof and stop skidding; when he does, Beast Boy, as a T-rex, was waiting for him. One snarl is all it takes to make the overgrown villain completely freak out and run for his life.

Starfire gathered all her strength for a starbolt and lets it go, hitting Mammoth dead center in the gut, Danny's delayed Ectoblast hitting him as well.

The hit leaves him spinning in the air as Robin dashes over. One flying kick drives him back into Gizmo and Jinx and leaves all three in a weary, groaning pile.

"Cram it, I'm calling Slade." SB muttered from the bottem of the pile.  
  
Robin yanked  him up to eye level as he switches the communicator on. "Who is Slade?"  
  
SB grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know, barf brain?"

\-----------------------

Phantom grunted as he was elbowed in the side, forcing him to reveal himself to the team after dropping off the criminals to the police. "Thanks, by the way. I know you risked your neck to save me." Robin grinned, enjoying the green blush that spread across Phantom's cheeks.  
  
"Dude! You blush green!" Beast Boy shouted in amusement, the others chuckling.

"Shut up!" He replied, pulling up his black hoodie up once again to cover the green blush.

"It's cute," Robin assured once more, trying not to laugh.

\------------------

At the tower, Beast Boy was looking through his CD's. "Nooooo! This is the worst thing that could ever happen!" Beast Boy cried. "My tunes! They've been...." He stepped away with a shudder.  "...Alphabetized. How am I ever going to find anything!"

Raven walked downstairs holding her cloaks. "They went into my room. No one should ever go into my room." Raven said icily, glaring at the teens in warning, causing the other's to shiver.

"It was curly!" Phantom defended, hands raised.

Starfire gasped. "Someone has disposed of all of our blue furry food!'  
  
"I think we can live without it.." Phantom muttered, Robin nodding in agreement.  
  
"You gotta be kidding me!" Cyborg said, while lifting the couch. "The whole place gets cleaned and I still can't find the-" A whistle from behind him stops him short. Robin, pointed down towards the couch. The coffe table seemed to be the culprit, with the missing remote laying harmlessly there in plain sight. "Ha!" He drops the couch and sits down on it with Robin, who has started to flip channels. " I guess we really oughta be training for battles, tracking down clues, and trying to figure out who Slade is, huh?" He asked as the others gathered around the couch, minus Phantom who had figured this would be a perfect time to escape.

"We will. But right now, I'm just happy to be part of the team." Robin glanced up as Phantom tried to sneak off, halfway phased through the window. "Phantom?" He asked, smirking in amusement. Phantom froze, grinning sheepishly, before he came back in.

"This seemed like a team moment, and those guys are probably still after me.." He muttered, trailing off, avoiding eye contact.  
  
"As far as I can tell, you are part of the team. We will protect you." Robin patted the seat between him and Cyborg.

"Come on, dude! Relax for a while." Beast Boy smirked, pointing down between the two hero's.

"I guess it couldn't hurt.. maybe for an hour.." He muttered, hesitantly taking a seat next to Robin. He's never felt like he could just.. relax before. It feels.. _normal_. Smiling to himself, Danny closed his eyes, and soon was snoring on Robin's shoulder, who didn't seem to mind at all.

\----------------

Robin's POV:  
  
Glancing at the sleeping teenager laying on his shoulder, he turned off the TV, when the other titan's left for bed, not before teasing him.

Yawning, he grinned. It had been a long day for him, and figuring out who the teenager was was difficult to say the least.

For the past week since he met him, he had spent his time researching the name Phantom, finding nothing except for a small town named Amity Park, most haunted town in America.

They had their own villains there, and their own hero. Inviso-bill. He had to laugh at the name, and didn't blame Phantom for correcting the media thousand's of times.

Finding an article labeled 'Danny Phantom, hero or menace?' He read through it, final decision being he was a hero. 

He had found what Phantom was running from, the GiW, and they had disgusted him.

Shivering at the memory, he carefully ran a hand through the teens hair, assuring himself the teen was safe.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

p>Robin's POV: 

Robin grinned watching Phantom train. The team had finally gotten Phantom to agree to stay- temporarily of course- and he had become part of the family, in one way or another.

Beast Boy had seen him as an older brother he never had, telling the teen his real name on the second day he stayed with them. Phantom had now developed the habit of calling Beast Boy Gar, short for his name, Garfield. The two constantly played pranks on Cyborg, the teen never really caring about it if Phantom were involved.

Cyborg had taken over an older brother role to Phantom, never allowing the teen out of his sights for more than an hour or two. Though, unlike Beast Boy, hadn't told the teen his real name.

Starfire had seemed to mostly ignore him, almost taking him as a rival due to their similarities in powers. Though, Phantom had been teaching her how to cook, so Robin took that as a win.

Raven still hasn't decided on weather to trust the teen or not- she always feels dead when she's around him- and the ghostly teenager seemed to stray away from her, due to a bad vibe.  
  
He himself was a different story. Robin knew all about Phantom, a few missing pieces, promising himself not to tell his team. They didn't need to know what had happened to Phantom.  
  
This was why Robin had developed a protective instinct over the ghost, Phantom seemingly the same, always making sure he had ate, and came out of his room, a job Starfire used to do before Phantom arrived.

Trailing out of thought, he had noticed the training room was empty, as a startled yell echoed around the tower.

\-------5 minutes earlier, Beast Boy's POV----------

In the hallway, Beast Boy has become a buffalo and is straining mightily at a rubber band looped over his horns, trying to catch it on a nearby hook. He succeeded and ducked away, coming up in human form with a mischievous smile on his face.

Now he holds a large, filled water balloon that sloshes a bit in his hands, and he lets off a wicked little chuckle "This is gonna be so sweet!"

"What are you doing?" Surprised by her words, he lets go of the balloon and completely freaks out as he tries desperately to make a safe catch. Finally he gets hold of it and turns around, Raven behind him. "Please tell me this isn't another ridiculous prank."  
  
"Okay. It's not a ridiculous prank. It's a brilliant one!" He laughed, as Raven rolled her eyes wearily. "All right, check it out. 'Member how Cyborg put red dye in my shampoo and I turned brown for two days? Well, sister, it's payback time." He scowled remembering the tinted brown fur, holding a scrub brush, in towel, shower cap, and slippers attempting to get it off standing there while the other Titans plus Phantom laugh at him.

"I give you... the Beast Boy Insta-Lube!" As he says this, he pulls the string and he and Raven back up. Down comes a blueprint, the words "Beast Boy" and "Insta-Lube" slide in beneath it, after which "9000" drops from the lower edge and replaces them. The diagram showed the rubber band, which is part of a floor-mounted slingshot, held back by the hook and with the balloon loaded in. A tripwire in front of the rig runs through overhead pulleys and is tied to a lever that is in turn connected to the hook.

"See, when Chrome-Dome steps around the corner, his foot tugs the string, the string trips the lever... The lever releases the mother of all rubber bands... which sends a balloon load of motor oil flying right at him, and BOOSH! Pretty clever, huh?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "You're a genius."  
  
"It's just a little good clean dirty fun." He defended, as his ears perk up listening to the sound of a door opening. "Here he comes!" He ducks, grabbing Raven, hiding around a corner.

"I do not think-"  
  
"Shhh!"  
  
"But what if-"  
  
"Shhh!"  
  
Cyborg appeared behind them. "Why are we hiding?"  
  
"Shhh!" His eyes instantly go as wide as saucers upon realizing that his target is nowhere near ground zero, and he flips out for a moment. Cyborg is hunched down behind both of them, confused.

"Cyborg?! You can't be Cyborg!"  
  
"I can't?"  
  
Beast Boy pointed at him, then into the hall. "If you're you, then who's..?" Footsteps echo out there as all three look out. A black boot steps into view and catches it, the string is pulled taut, the lever moves, and the hook starts to pull away from the rubber band. The balloon was as Beast Boy jumps out in a frantic attempt to stop it. "NOOOOOO!" He cried out, Phantom just noticing the balloon. Going intangible, Phantom sighed in relief as the balloon passed harmlessly through him, yet smacked into someone else.

"Eek!" Starfire yelled out, the balloon colliding with her face, knocking her onto her back.

"Starfire!" Beast Boy called out.

"You okay?" Cyborg asked.

Starfire seemed puzzled. "This is punishment? I did something wrong?"  
  
"You didn't." Raven assured. "He did."

Phantom raised an eyebrow ready for an explanation.  
  
Beast Boy then gave a sheepish grin. "Star! Phantom! It was... you weren't supposed to.." He trailed off noticing Cyborg's and Raven's disapproving looks. "I didn't..." He trailed off, laughing. "Just remember to change that oil every three thousand miles." He tries to laugh, though the sound dies on his lips as Starfire leered down at him.  
  
"On my planet, we have a name for those who do such terrible things. You are a... a... CLORBAG VARBLERNELK!!" She shouted, the oil disappearing.  
  
"I'm a what-bag?"  
  
"You heard the lady." Cyborg grinned.  
  
Raven shook her head. "You are such a clorbag."  
  
"Come on, you guys. Can't anybody take a joke?"  
  
A flash of lightning startled the five titans, Phantom shivering. He always hated lightning.

"Titans!" The five turned to their leader. "Trouble!"

\---------------Reader's POV-------------  
  
Flying to their destination, Phantom took his spot beside Robin's motorcycle, jumping at every strike.

"You don't have to come, Phantom." Robin murmured.

"I've dealt with this before, I can do it again." He replied.

Arriving at their destination, the six titan's stood on the trailer of a truck.  
  
"Hate to break it to you.. but you guys have a lousy sense of humor! This ends now!"  
  
"No one gives orders to Thunder and Lightning! Taste my power!" He threw a bolt at the truck and just barely misses the Titans, who scramble in six different directions.

The trailer gets a big hole blown through it, wiping out his graffiti. Starfire does a U-turn and swoops down on him with starbolts blazing, intending to take out her anger. 

He jumps onto a line of stopped cars, she does likewise, and they run on these parallel tracks and trade shots. The firefight continues for several dozen yards until he gets in a lucky hit that knocks her down.

His brother, meanwhile, is mixing it up with Cyborg. They block or dodge a few of each other's punches and start to grapple. Thunder pulls back his left fist, and readies for a powerful strike. Cyborg's right hand reconfigures it into the sonic cannon. The fists swing and connect with each other, the resulting shock wave throws them far down the bridge in opposite directions. Cyborg lands on his back, but Thunder brings a small cloud to himself and hops onto it to float upward.

Robin finds the big blue hooligan bearing down on him and Phantom, as they have to dodge a thunderclap.

He leaps onto a guardrail, Phantom flying up to avoid, but another blast destroys that section and he has to move down a bit. The next attack breaks a support cable; he grabs the swinging free end and is carried away an instant before Thunder obliterates that section of the rail. Robin is carried high into the air before the cable starts to descend. He times his next move carefully and hurls himself over Thunder, avoiding a punch and grabbing the foe's shoulders to throw him across the pavement, Phantom catching him as he was heading for the ground.

Meanwhile, Lightning threw a bolt towards Raven. "Ha!" He shouted.

Midair; Raven dodged the shot and launched herself downward for a flying kick. The yellow brother throws up his arms to block and is driven backward by her flurry of attacks. Finally he gets clear and socks her with a bolt that sends her flying.

No sooner is she down, though, than Beast Boy-as a giant panda-lumbers up behind and catches him in a bear hug. Lightning struggles for a moment, then electrifies his entire body and gives the shape shifting Titan a few hundred thousand volts. The shock forces him back into human form and causes him to let go. Lightning laughed. "Your powers are strong, but mine are stronger!" Beast Boy, laying against a chunk of debris, groaned and rubbed his head for several seconds.

He then gasps as Thunder's shadow falls over him. "Your power of the animals is impressive green one." He warmed up his fists for an attack. "Rise so we may do battle."  
  
Beast Boy stood up. "Why are you doing this?"  
  
"Because it is not sporting to attack an unready opponent." Thunder frowned, confused.  
  
"No. Why are you wrecking everything?"  
  
Thunder paused, puzzled. "Uh... because it is amusing."  
  
"Do they look amused?" Beast Boy gestured to the scared motorists huddling behind their damaged and overturned cars.

"I-"  
  
"This isn't funny! It's wrong!"

An attack of conscience makes Thunder relax his power. Before Beast Boy can say anything more, though, a lightning bolt blasts him away and its shooter jumps down next to his brother.

"Ah, the thrill of victory." He put an arm around his brother. "Come, Thunder. We shall seek more amusement." The two took off to the sky, leaving Beast Boy in a pile of rubble.

"Well that was a shock." Star only huffed, and floated away. "So.. I'm guessing your still mad?"  
  
Cyborg helped Raven to her feet, as Phantom dusted himself off beside Robin. "Okay, team. We have to find thos guys before they do any more damage. Cyborg, search the west side. Raven, the east. Phantom and I will take downtown. Beast Boy, you and star scan from the skies."  
  
Beast Boy looked uneasily up at Starfire. "Um... maybe Cyborg or Phantom should come with me instead."  
  
"Cyborg can't fly, and I'll need someone searching the skies."  
  
"Oh. Yeah."

Cyborg pinched Beast Boy's cheek. "Have a nice flight, my little clorbag."

\------------------

Meeting up to where Starfire and Beast Boy had sent the location, Robin grinned. "Didn't anyone ever tell you? Play with fire, and you're gonna get burned."

The fiery beast swings a flaming forearm at the team, forcing them to scatter. Robin looks up from the duck-and-cover position he has assumed and sees Fire pushing trees aside and making its way toward Jump City.

Smoke and flames billow in its wake and right in its path. The old man waves the fumes aside with his staff.

"Good. Very good."

"Brother, what have we done?" Thunder murmured as the thing continued down the mountain.

"Titans! Go!"

He pulls even with the creature on foot while Raven does likewise in the air. Pulling a couple of grenades from his belt, Robin throws them at its feet; they throw up a wall of smoke when they blow.

Raven flies through it all. "Flames can't spread if there's nothing to burn. Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Her spell uprooted several trees Robin getting the idea.

"Good idea, Raven. Beast Boy! Phantom! Star! Help her out!"

These three put on a burst of speed, and Beast Boy turns into a buffalo to deliver a crushing headbutt against the base of a tree. It topples into a row of others and brings them all down.

Meanwhile, Starfire takes up a position high above the boughs; she throws a starbolt that blows another clump of old growth to matchwood.

Phantom charged an ectoblast, shooting down a couple dozen trees.

His cannon at the ready, Cyborg leaps toward Fire and lets go with a terrific blast when he lands. It skims the ground and throws up a wall of dirt in the beast's face-a large-scale equivalent of dumping sand on a campfire to put it out. It takes some time for the view to begin to clear. Fire is nowhere in sight among the dust clouds.

"Is he out?" Beast Boy asked, Phantom hovering behind him.  
  
In answer to his question, Fire stands up, blazing and roaring mad.

"You had to ask." Raven deadpanned, Beast Boy grinning sheepishly.

As it screeches some more, Robin and Phantom get closer for a better look. Up the slop to one side standing on a stone is an old man. The man grins maliciously, Robin and Phantom putting it together.

"Go, young masters. Fire is your creation. They have no right to destroy your fun."  
  
"Yes! We must fight!" Lightning shouted.  
  
"But, brother-"  
  
"Do not annoy me with your foolish concerns! Come!" He shouted, running off.

The blue brother thinks it over for a moment, and both of them disappear in a flash of light.

The sorcerer turns away from the spot where they stood and spreads his arms; he starts to laugh in triumph, but it dies on his lips as Robin's yell is heard. The Titans' leader sails across the clearing and lands a flying kick that sends the staff spiraling through the air, much to Phantom's protesting. It sticks in the ground, walking end down, and Robin lands next to it.

However, the thing pulls loose and sailed back into the old man's hand. The tense seconds pass as the two face off; finally the sorcerer breaks the silence. "Robin. We meet at last."  
  
"Who are you?" There is no answer, except for a charge with staff raised for a swing. Robin meets it by hurling himself at the enemy as Fire moves closer to the city.  
  
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven had targeted the creature itself. The stream of black energy pouring from her hands breaks against the giant's form and stoped it in its tracks. When she relents, its flames have gone out, leaving the body black and smoking. The surface began to crack all over; finally the creature lights up again and Raven gasps in shock. It slams its fists together and creates a pyrotechnic shock wave that blasts away all the trees within several dozen yards. She is thrown back by the overpressure, as is Cyborg and Phantom.

He slams down, and Starfire and Raven land and start to help him up. Before they can get Phantom upright, though, a lightning bolt flashes down and knocks all three even farther away, it having effecting Phantom more. The brothers descend to the clearing; Lightning warms up his hands and advances, while Thunder stays put and gets ready to attack. Before he can throw that curveball, though, Beast Boy-as a tiger-steps in before him. "Stand aside, green one!"

Said green one just roars. They charge at one another, but before any blows can land, violet smoke boils up. When it clears, they are in the middle of a bank of clouds in this color. Thunder is among them, but his body is largely in shadow and drawn in a somewhat different style now. The entire view shimmers and wavers somewhat, and the two voices echo slightly.

"I do not wish to harm you."  
  
"But you want to destroy homes and innocent lives?  
  
"No."  
  
"Ten what are you fighting for?"  
  
"My brother and I.. the old one says we are unique, gifted, better."  
  
"Gifts don't make you better, just different. It's how you use them that counts."  
  
\--------------

"It seems your power has its limit." Lightning held up a sparking hand. "But mine has none."

He was standing over an unconscious Starfire and a half-conscious Phantom, yet a blast from Thunder plowed him away. She comes to and looks in the direction of the shot. Thunder pushes over a charred tree as he steps up, and Lightning gets to his feet.

"You betray me?" Lightning asked, warming up.  
  
"We have done wrong, brother. Our fun must stop."  
  
"No one commands Lightning, not even Thunder!" He threw a wide beam, the impact sends Thunder tumbling into the trees.

Fire continues its inexorable advance toward the lower houses as the other four Titans gather to watch. Beast Boy is back in human form.

"Those houses go, the whole city could go." Phantom observed, glancing at Cyborg who nodded.  
  
"We gotta stop that fire!"  
  
"How?" Raven questioned.

"Any way we can." Phantom murmured, glancing down at his hands. "Will ice help?"

"If it's Liquid Nitrogen, it would. But where are we gonna find Ice around here?" Cyborg asked.  
  
Sighing, Danny formed a small Ice Crystal in his hand, giving it to Cyborg. "It won't melt."  
  
Cyborg nodded. "It'll do, but we need more attacks than just the ice."  
  
Phantom only went into action, freezing parts of Fire, refusing to let up attacks until a steady downpoor appeared, burning Fire out. Landing on the ground, Phantom panted for breath, Cyborg helping him up. 

  
"Ah, yeah! That was awesome!" Beast Boy cheered.  
  
"I am sorry for the trouble we have made." Thunder then nudged his brother.  
  
"I am... also sorry." Thunder smiled, shaking beast boy's hand.  
  
"You have taught us much, green one. Thank you."  
  
"Don't thank me." He gestured towards Starfire. "Thank the person who taught me." Starfire and the two brothers bowed, pleased.

"And thank you for helping to defeat the flame monster." Starfire added, smiling.  
  
Cyborg huffed. "You need to eat more, Phantom. I'm barely having any trouble holding you up!"  
  
Phantom only rolled his eyes, smirking. 

\----------------

On the bridge, Robin handed Cyborg something, the team paying no mind.  
  
"So, Slade wants to destroy the city. Question is why?" Cyborg muttered, moving Phantom again.  
  
"I don't know, but I will find out-and he won't get away with it."  
  
"And you're not alone in looking, you know that, right?" Phantom asked, concerned.

"I know." Robin grinned. "Besides, you did a lot today. You did awesome!"  
  
Phantom blushed once more, making sure to pull up his hoodie much to Cyborg's objections.  
  
"So.. am I, you know.. still a clorbag?" Beast Boy asked Starfire.

"Mmm- no. I believe you are more of a ... milnip wusserloop."

"SWEET!" He danced around. "Go, Beast Boy! I'm a milnip! Who's your wusserloop! Huh?" He stopped dancing, puzzled. "That is a good thing.. right, Starfire?"  
  
She only giggles, and flys away to head home. Raven follows her, while Robin gets picked up by Phantom, following after the two girls, and Cyborg start running. The green Titan is left standing by himself.  
  
"Star?" Beast Boy then runs after the others, grinning. _Yeah. This was his epic family._


	4. Chapter 4

"MAIL CALL!" Cyborg shouted. Danny peeked his head inside the room from behind just in time for Raven to fall out of thin air.  
  
"Robin! Cyborg! Beast Boy! And the Phantom.. You are back! It was...quiet while you were gone." Starfire glanced behind her over towards Raven.

Raven stood up, dusting herself off. "Not that quiet." She muttered, as the crate Cyborg held was set down.

"Check it out. This was sitting by the front door. Fan mail- probably a gift from one of my many admirers." Beast Boy grinned.  
  
Raven rolled her eyes as Robin bent down to examine the small crate. "Actually, it doesn't say who it's from."

Cyborg reached in grabbing the lid. "Well, one way to find out."  
  
"I wouldn't-" Phantom started, but was cut off as Cyborg yanked up the lid, and the titans peeked inside the box.

"Whoa!" Cyborg shouted.

Robin grinned. "Cool!"

"Honestly, I was kind of hoping for chocolate." Beast Boy said, as Starfire giggled.  
  
Cyborg reached into the create, bringing up a puppet of himself. "Wonder why Phantom isn't in there." Cyborg turned to Phantom, only to see the teen had disappeared.

"Well, we really haven't let anyone see him," Robin mused, staring off to where the teenager had gone- his room.  
  
"Aww, isn't it cute? Puppet Cy even has a light-up eye!" Cyborg grinned, as Robin turned to his attention back to the puppets, pulling out his just as Beast Boy picked his up.  
  
Robin raised an eyebrow poking at the belt on the puppet. "Yeah. They got all the details just right."  
  
"Speak for yourself. I'm way better looking then this- and taller." Beast Boy frowned down at his puppet.

Raven looked at her puppet, frowning. "Someone certainly has a lot of time on their hands." She pulled back the puppets hood, noting the hairline was also the same.

Starfire giggled, as she moved hers around. "I have never seen such a whimsical device!" She made her puppet bow. "Hello, Starfire!" She called out in a tiny voice. "Hello, tiny wooden replica of Starfire!"

Beast Boy made his puppet jump over Robin's, kicking it in the rear. "Dude! My puppet is totally kicking your puppets butt!"  
  
"Not for long!" Shifting his voice, he makes his marionette strike Beast Boy's with a chop that sends it crashing into the wooden Cyborg.

Cyborg made his puppet shake his fist. "You want a piece of me, little man?" The Beast Boy and Robin puppets keep taking swipes at each other as their operators bantered. Cyborg soon gets into the act as well.

"Boys." Raven muttered, shaking her head, as Starfire moved her puppet over to her.

"Shall my tiny replica do battle with your tiny replica?"  
  
"Knock yourself out." Raven muttered. tossing her puppet to Starfire and walked away. "Maybe Phantom will play with you."  
  
"That is the most wonderful of ideas, friend Raven!" Starfire giggled, flying to Phantom's room, knocking on the door. "Friend Phantom? Do you wish to do the battle with the tiny figurines?"  
  
Phantom opened his door, peeking out. He sighed. "Sorry, Star. Today's not the best of days. Maybe after tomorrow." He then shut the door, leaving Starfire by herself, wondering what she had done wrong.

\-----------------

Danny's POV:  
  
Turning in his sleep, Danny shook his head. "No, no! No.. NO!" Sitting upright, he glanced around, sighing in relief, until he heard Starfire outside his door.

"Hello?" The footsteps walked past his room, and Danny raised an eyebrow. She wasn't talking to him, then who..?  
  
Two shrieks were heard, and that's all that took for Danny to bolt out of bed, transform, and phase through the wall, facing a startled Raven and Starfire.

"Raven! Phantom! You have also heard the strange noises?" She asked, facing the two.  
  
Raven and Danny blinked. "The strange noises of you talking outside my door? Hard to miss."  
  
Danny sighed in irritation as Starfire blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Oh. Forgive me, I thought there was someone-" This time, the thing that cuts her off is a blast from the Cyborg's sonic cannon that just misses both of them.

Turning toward its source, they find the other three Titans charging down the hall. Robin leaps for a kick as Beast Boy turns into a dinosaur and charges ahead. The former nearly takes Starfire's head off with the sole of his boot; the latter tries to get at Raven, but she creates energy barriers to slow him down a bit. The eyes of both aggressors are glowing, as Robin advanced on Phantom.

"Beast Boy, it's me! Don't make me hurt you!" He broke through the shield she has put up and snaps at her.

As Phantom flew over Robin's head, he gets three discs ready in one hand and hurls them. He shoots them down with his ectoblasts; the first two fizzle out, but the third explodes with great force when shot and he is thrown downward. Cyborg catches him, with his eyes glowing as well.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy continued his advance against Raven. A swing of the tail knocks her down the hall, where Cyborg catches her as well and pins her and Phantom under each arm, Starfire being held by Beast Boy as a gorilla.

Turning intangible, Phantom got out of Cyborg's strong grip, turning invisible, needing to get to the bottom of this. "Let me go!" Raven shouted, struggling in Cyborg's grip

"Friends! Why do you attack us?" Starfire questioned.

"Oh. They're not your friends anymore." A puppet steps up, revealing himself. His head was large, slick black hair parted in the middle, and a hinged mouth like the puppets they had received earlier. "They are my puppets." He pulled out three figurines from behind him. These are your friends."  
  
"Phantom!" Robin cried out. "What did you do to him!?"  
  
"Raven!" Cyborg called out.

"Star, help!" Beast Boy cried, as she gasped.

"Release them!" Raven growled out.

"Sorry, but you're not in charge here! You don't command me!" He held up his crosspiece, which now shows lights on five of its arms-red for Robin, orange for Starfire, blue for Raven. "I command you." Phantom's eyes widen in horror as Beast Boy and Robin raise the Raven and Starfire marionettes, and each girl groans as she is wreathed in her own color light. "And with the Puppet King pulling the strings, the Teen Titans will command the entire city!"

"Azarath...Metrion...Zinthos..." Raven muttered as her soul is pulled from her body as well as Star's. Both passed out as a black starburst emerges from her forehead and flares over the entire hall, knocking everyone silly. The crosspiece spins away from its master's hand and skids along the floor. "My control!"  
  
He ran for the control, but Phantom stopped him short with shooting an ectoblast. Beams shoot from the ends corresponding to the two girls, and their souls float free of the wooden receptacles and flash into the bodies of the prone girls. By the time the Puppet King has his control device back in hand, they have made it upright and sprinted off down the hall, Phantom flying invisibly behind them.

"After them." The boys stand,mup to their feet, ready to pursue.

\------------------

"The boys! Raven! What are we going to-" Phantom watched with interest as 'Raven' reached over, pulling on the light switch for the basement, and the two girls get a good eyeful of each other in their new situation. Each one's face shows the kind of expression she might have if she were still in her own body, and they give each other a long and very bewildered look.

"Starfire?" Raven asked.  
  
"Raven?" She gasped. "You are me!" She looked down at herself. "And I am you!"  
  
Phantom groaned as black energy crackles from her forehead and shatters the light bulb, putting them into near-total darkness again. _This'll be fun._

\-----------

Getting above to the streets was easy, Danny having finally revealed himself, and getting an earful out of it from Raven.

"Oh, Raven! This is awful! Terribly, horribly awful!" Raven sighed as she pulled Starfire down the sidewalk.  
  
"Tell me about it." She muttered, getting a nod from Phantom who trailed behind the two girls.  
  
"Very well. Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy have been trapped inside tiny wooden bodies, while a nasty creature called the Puppet King has taken control of their real bodies, which he is using to hunt us down, and you and I are in the wrong bodies and-" Throughout all of this, the powers of the body she has borrowed manifest themselves. A couple of parking meters bend themselves double, newspaper boxes spew their contents in all directions, and a mailbox melts down.

The only thing that stops her flow of words is Raven's hand on her shoulder, startling a gasp out of her. "Starfire! You have to calm down. My powers are driven by emotion. The more you feel the more energy you unleash."  
  
"But what if they find us? What if our friends are doomed? What if I am stuck like this forever? And why is the Phantom so sad?"  
  
"We'll fix it. I don't know how, but we will rescue the boys and we will get our bodies back. What's wrong with the way I look?" Raven asked, ignoring the question about Phantom.

Starfire squeaked. "Nothing!" A pedestrian crossing signal above their heads explodes.

Phantom sighed behind them, as Star blushed. "I will try to calm down. Peace... quiet.. tranquil- Eek!" A car parked next to them is launched straight up and crashes back to the ground, upside down, nearly two seconds later. Its alarm goes off.

"We are so doomed." Phantom muttered, as a cry from overheard was heard by the three teens.  
  
"Beast Boy!"

Phantom looked up, spotting Beast Boy. He was above the rooftops, illuminated by the full moon, but soon goes into a sharp descent with talons extended.

"You mean zombie Beast Boy." She pulled Starfire towards a nearby alley. "Run!"

As they follow the alley's turns, Phantom floating behind them, Raven starts jumping and flapping her arms-trying to get clear of the ground.

"Fly! Fly!" After another turn or two, they slow to a walk.

"We cannot fight them again. I do not wish to, and in our present condition we would surely be defeated." Star pointed out, glancing at Phantom briefly.

"Okay. How do you fly this thing?" Raven gestured to Starfire's body.

"You must feel flight." Starfire ordered.

"What?" Raven asked as Phantom blinked.

"When you feel the unbridled joy of flight, you will fly."

"Unbridled joy? Not really my thing." Raven muttered. "Phantom, can you carry the two of us?"  
  
"While fighting the other titans? Not a chance." Phantom shook his head.

"Look!" The hand movement creates a black spark that throws Raven off her feet. Beast Boy, as a tiger, rushed towards the three teens, Phantom ready for a fight if the girls couldn't escape.

"What do I have to feel to use starbolts?"  
  
"Righteous fury."  
  
"Your alien strength?"  
  
"Boundless confidence."  
  
"Never mind.." She muttered. She ran back the way they came and yanks Starfire along. As Beast Boy pursues, Phantom distracted the Titan, as they take a different turn and wind up in a darker stretch of the alley.

Something black swishes by in front, bringing them up short with a gasp; it straightens up to expose Robin's silhouette.

They back up a few steps only to find the Cyborg blocking the retreat. He moves in a little closer whirrs to life, and now Robin brings out his fighting staff and runs at them. Cyborg readies as well. The girls stand pat and sidestep at the last moment; the two hypnotized Titans collide in midair, and the staff socks Cyborg in the head and goes flying along the alley.

Raven and Starfire make tracks while the attackers lie dazed, Robin pinned under Cyborg. The staff clunks down on the latter's head; both are soon on their feet to continue the chase.

Yet another side passage in the alley. Starfire passes it, but Raven ducks in and reaches out to haul her opposite number back. They flatten themselves against the wall to stay out of sight of Robin and Cyborg, who pass the corner without a second thought.

A momentary relieved smile from Raven is cut off when two very large and familiar green arms smash through the bricks behind them. Raven screams in terror and is propelled upward at terrific speed by an inadvertent burst of telekinesis from Starfire, who runs off as Beast Boy knocks the wall down, Phantom hot in pursue.

"Wait for me, please!" Starfire shouted, flying after Raven.

They rounded a corner and stopped, but soon they are forced to back up when Beast Boy stepped in after them.  Robin and Cyborg soon joined him. As they close in; the girls back up to a dead-end wall, Phantom in front of the girls with fists raised.

"If I can't fly, you have to levitate. You know those words I always-"

"Yes!" She sucked in a huge breath and held it.

"Wait! You have to focus!" Star exhaled.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She went up like a rocket, dragging Raven by the hand, and both scream as they gain too much altitude, Phantom flying after them in amusement. Operating on little control, Starfire tows Raven up to roof level and beyond to soar over Jump City. 

"Look at the ground and imagine-" Starfire turned her gaze downward. "Wait!" The severely inexperienced pilot drops like a rock, Raven going with her, and they slam down in a huge pile of trash between two buildings. After a moment, they poke their heads up; Raven shovels waste feverishly toward the street. "Gee, thanks for the help, Phantom." All she gets is a thumbs up in return.

"Ugh! I smell like the breath of a Snervian blork worm. Raven, what are you-"

Raven clamped a hand to Starfire's mouth. "Shhh!" Leaning back to hide herself behind the berm she has made, she throws a trash bag at Starfire and lands it on her head to drive her down and out of sight, Phantom, getting the idea, immediately went invisible just as Robin and Cyborg walked the alley and stop near the garbage to look around a bit. Not seeing anything worth attention, they continue on their respective patrols. As they leave, the two girls huddled behind it sigh in relief. A little aura of energy appears briefly around one of Starfire's hands; Raven gives her a hard look as she groaned sadly at having lost control again. 

"Peace, quiet, tranquility...peace, quiet, tranquility." Star muttered.

"It's all right. They're going." Phantom assured.

Peering out at the departing pair through an opening in the wall of junk. A large green rat-Beast Boy-pops into sight; Starfire gasped in fright and was silenced by Raven's hand on her mouth. The rodent sniffs the air a bit and climbs up the bags behind them as they remain stock-still. A drop of sweat forms on Starfire's temple, and slides down to the hand over her mouth. Raven had sweat sliding down her cheek as well, and her lower lip caught nervously between her teeth, Phantom not make a sound from above. Beast Boy was still sniffing about.

"Enough!" The Titan scuttles away, joining Cyborg and Robin. "We will catch the other two after the ceremony is complete."  
  
"Ceremony?" Robin squeaked.

"What ceremony?" Cyborg demanded.

"Just a little spell that will destroy you three and make your bodies mine forever. Come, my puppets." He walks away as they follow.

After all have gone, A few trash bags are flung away; the two girls step out, and Raven tries to get her auburn hair untangled, while Phantom dropped his invisibility. "How can you stand having this much hair?" Raven asked.

"Quickly, Raven! Our friends are in danger! We must follow and-" 

"And what?" Phantom flinched at the harsh tone. "Save them with my unusable powers while your unbridled emotions blow us to bits? Nice flying, by the way." A black aura surrounded Starfire. 

"At least I am able to fly. On my planet, even a newborn can unleash the joy of flight. But you are too busy being grumpy and rude to feel anything at all!" She snapped harshly.

"Maybe you haven't noticed, but my emotions are dangerous. I can't afford to feel anything. You may have my body, but you know nothing about me." Raven snapped back, agitated. 

"Perhaps you are right. And if you and I are to overcome this ordeal, we must know everything about each other. So...begin sharing."

Raven smiled. "All right."

The two sat on the ground, Raven silently asking if Phantom wanted to join who shook his head and remained floating. Raven nodded and started from the beginning. "I was born in a place called Azarath."  
  
Phantom grinned, and flew up to the rooftop, landing lightly. Sitting down, he sighed softly. There was no avoiding today, and he knew that. Just the reminders.. of his death day.. 

Shuddering, his eyes turned upward, watching the stars twinkle. Remembering his death day made his whole mood plummet. Sighing once more, he glanced down at the two girls who had stood up.

"Phantom?" Starfire asked, looking around.   
  
"I'm here." He announced, floating down. "What's the plan?"

\----------------------

Crouched behind a broken down waterfall, Raven glanced over to the two teens. "Safe to say we're not walking in through the front door. We'll try the roof."  
  
Starfire nodded, taking her hand. "Agreed. Now, do just as I instructed. Close your eyes and think of something joyful." Raven rolled her eyes and sighed wearily. "You might choose flowers, or kittens, or the laughter of children, or-" Starfire gasped as she was lifted into the air, Phantom following beside them. Slowly the three teens ascend to the roof, not being seen by Beast Boy. "Very, very good! What was your joyful thought?" Star asked.

"Yeah Raven, what was your joyful thought?" Phantom grinned, and Raven shot him a glare.

"You two shutting up." She deadpanned, Star pausing.  
  
"Oh. Well... I am glad I was able to help." She muttered, as Phantom childishly stuck out his tongue.   
  
The three teens glanced down at the lock. "Your turn. Find your center. Focus your energy on the lock." 

Phantom rolled his eyes, as he walked up, easily snapping it off. "Success!" Star shouted, as the trapdoor flew opened, sending an echo throughout the theatre.  
  
"Nice work." Raven said sarcastically, glaring at the two teens.   
  
The three enter the theatre, and watched from the catwalk. "I do not want an audience. Well, Titans...time for your grand finale." The flames sparked.  
  
"NO!" Phantom shouted as he held up the three figures. 

"It's going to be a real showstopper."  
  
"Stop!" Robin shouted. 

"Don't!"  
  
"Please!"  
  
"Hey!"   
  
"No!"  
  
"Stop!"  
  
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of your bodies. After all, they'll be mine forever." He slowly let go of the strings, as the puppets drop toward the flaming.

Eyes green, Phantom shot towards the puppets, gathering them in a one armed hug, tears running down his cold cheeks.

"We're Okay, Phantom." Robin muttered from below, barely audible to Phantom who refused to hand then to Starfire.  
  
"My friends! You are unharmed!"   
  
"Starfire?" Cyborg questioned.

"It's a long story." Raven dismissed.

Puppet king immediately took action, commanding his puppets to attack the three teens. "Go, my puppets! Capture them!" They move forward; Beast Boy transforms into a vampire bat to fly up while Robin clambers up the scaffolding. Starfire stands on the catwalk, still reveling in Phantom's rescue of the puppets, but is yanked away by Raven.

"Move!" They run along the planks, Phantom remaining intangible with the puppets, but screams as Beast Boy brought them up short. Robin vaulted up and crouches behind them, and Cyborg leaps onto the railing with his cannon ready to fire. The blast sends both girls flying every which way, Phantom fumbling to catch them both, yet drops the puppets in the process.  
  
"Dude, get your butt outta my face!" Beast Boy huffed out.  
  
"Can't move. Deal with it." Robin snarked back. 

Starfire tries to grab a curtain cord to stop herself, Raven does her best to start flying, and neither one has any success. Beast Boy is in human form again; he hops onto the railing and turns into a gorilla, and he and Robin jump over the edge. Their two targets have finally managed to hit the brakes and are floating near another catwalk. They scatter an instant before Robin swings across the space on a rope.

Starfire made her way through the jumble of rigging, barely staying ahead of Robin, and both light on a walk to face off. "Robin, I do not wish to fight you. But I will if I must!" She shouted. She levitates a nearby sandbag and drops it over the side. The rope attached to it is the same one whose loop Robin is standing in, and he is quickly dragged up by that leg.

Raven flew through the support framework, doing her best to stay ahead of Cyborg and Beast Boy, both of whom are swinging among the cables to get at her. The latter finally finds a grip and bears her down to the catwalk, but she kicked him away and quickly backs up to the wall as Cyborg rejoins the attack. "Okay, Raven. Starbolts. Just let go of your emotions, feel the righteous fury, and..." The attempt comes to a very sudden end when Cyborg aims a punch at her and knocked out a few dozen bricks. Beast Boy tried to seize her again as well; she dodged away, but he countered by slamming his clasped hands onto the catwalk to break it. Raven hurtled toward the stage, but managed to reverse course and deliver a walloping uppercut that dumped the shape-shifter-now back in human form-at Cyborg's feet. Cyborg jumps onto the railing, grabs a rope, and swings across at her. She has just enough time to get airborne before those enormous metal boots crash through both sides. Realizing that he is now below her, she angled herself for a diving kick and connected to drive the rope out of his hands. He plunged toward the stage and passed Starfire, who gasped in shock and gathers her energy.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" As she says this, the pile of puppets on the stage are directly underneath the falling Titan and will be crushed upon impact. The spell catches him and pushes him out of the way. Starfire smiled a bit as she moved her hand to direct his motion; she looks upward, screamed suddenly, and dodgeed a falling sandbag.

A snarling Robin has gotten loose of the trap she sprang on him and is diving with enough speed to peel his lips back from his teeth. An instant after he lands on the catwalk, Cyborg-still moving under her influence-sails across and plows him away.

Raven landed on a higher walk and smiled down at Starfire, but a loud growl from above draws a shocked gasp and sets her running. Beast Boy, in gorilla form again, leaps down to her level in a bid to crush her, he missed, but the tremor from his landing throws her off her feet. She got up and held one hand straight out in front of herself as he approaches. "Righteous fury, righteous fury, concentrate..." She murmered, as a green ectoblast slammed into Beast Boy's side. "Where have you been!" Raven demanded.  
  
"Getting myself together." Phantom snapped back, turning as Starfire called out for help.   
  
"Starfire!" Raven shouted.

Starfire looks up toward her, Robin went in for a kick, and those violet soles push off from the framework. Raven goes into the fastest dive she can do and tackles the Boy Wonder in midair, driving him off the catwalk and catching the edge of his cape in one hand to leave him hanging.

"Not me!" She pointed down. "Them!"

The two follow her gaze; their faces register the same shock that set off Starfire. The Puppet King ran toward the flaming vessel, carrying the three boys' replicas, holding them over the fire. "The Puppet King is in command!" 

"NO!" Phantom shouted, hurtling an ectoblast straight at the Puppet King, flinging him across the stage.   
  
"Uh! My control!" Puppet King shouted as it disappeared into the fire.

"NOOOOOOOO!" At this, the spirits returned to their rightful owners.  
  
"I am me!" Star shouted. "And you are you!"   
  
"And we're us!" Cyborg grinned.

"Thanks to you three." Robin added.

"You go, girls!" Beast Boy shouted.

"Raven! We have done it!" Starfire shouted happily.  
  
Raven found herself swept up into a hug, eyes narrowed. "You're hugging me...."  
  
"NOOOOOOO!" Puppet King's cry came from behind them, as the lights in his eyes dim. "The magic! Without it, I'm just a..." He collapsed, without being able to finish his sentence.

\-----------------

Hiding in his room, Danny pulled out an old photo of his family. Sam and Tucker always made him celebrate his Death Day, even if he hadn't wanted to. 

The three of them always went out and did something fun. Weather it be a movie, or Ice Cream, or just a DOOM session at Danny's house, they always dragged him out.

The other Ghost's were sure to stray from Danny on his death day; it had apparently became one of those rare truce days; and even left him gifts, though his enemies always made sure to leave a threat note.

Smiling, Danny jumped to hear a knock at his door. Walking there slowly, he peeked out, white hair and green eyes stared at the Boy Wonder. 

"The girls said you've been in a bad mood. Want to talk about it?"

Thinking for a moment, he nodded, allowing Robin inside. "I almost lost you guys today.." He muttered, sitting on his bed.

"Almost. But it's part of the job. What's got you in a bad mood?"  
  
Danny sighed. "Today's my death day."   
  
Robin's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Phantom. I didn't know."   
  
Danny smiled. "It's Danny. My names Danny."  
  
Robin smiled as the two sat there, Robin's presence comforting Danny.

Falling asleep on Robin's shoulder once more, Danny didn't seem to notice a bright white flash, as green eyes turned to baby blue, and white hair transformed to black.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Slamming his hand down on the alarm clock, Danny yawned, and started to get up- only to be blocked by an arm. Eyes widening, he trailed the arm to a body, and soon a face. Robin.

Panicking, Danny looked down at himself to realize he had no white gloves on. _Oh God, crap, crap crap crap_! Was the first thing that came to Danny's mind, as he tried to move the arm, alas, failed, and only made the grip tighten.  
  
"Mind telling me why you don't have glowing white hair or glowing green eyes?" Robin questioned from below, startling the teen.

"Not necessarily..." Danny muttered, phasing out of the teens grip. "You weren't supposed to know, anyway. I wasn't even _supposed_ to be here long enough for anyone to _even know_ _who Phantom_ was, yet _you guys_ _sucked me in_ , and I _couldn't_ leave." He ranted on, Robin listening intently. "I just, _couldn't_." Danny muttered, staring at his hands settled in his lap. "Do you know what it's like to know you have to leave, yet you can't?" He murmured, staring off to the side. "I understand if you want me to leave." Standing up, Danny dropped his communicator, and grabbed his already packed bag, heading for the door.  
  
He only got as far as touching the door nob before Robin shouted a quick; "No!" Danny turned in surprise, watching as Robin walked up to him, glaring. "I wasn't going to ask you to leave." Robin picked up the discarded communicator from the floor, holding it out to him. "I was acutely hoping you would become an official member?"

Danny raised his eyebrows in shock, not believing what he was hearing. _Him?_ _Danny Phantom_ an official Titan? "Will I have to tell everyone else about.." Danny waved his hands up and down his body, eyebrows raised.

"That will be your secret to reveal. Danny, they'd accept you either way." Robin assured, as Danny grinned. "How did you get your powers, anyway?"  
  
Danny flinched. "It's a long story. Here's how it started-"

_Yo, Danny Fenton, he was just 14,_

_"So you kids wanna learn about ghost's?" His father asked, looking at the three very unamused teenagers._

_"Uh, actually, Dad? I want to be an astronaut." A teenager with black hair and blue eyes, the trio's apparent leader, quietly spoke up._

_When his parents built a very strange machine, _  
  
_"Sorry, Mr. Fenton. I was into ghosts, but they're so mainstream now. They're like cellphones." Danny's Gothic Ultra Recyclo Vegetarian friend Samantha- better known as Sam, said from the chair beside them._

_It was designed to view a world unseen_   
  
_"Waste these looks and all this charisma hunting ghosts? Criminal." His techno-geek meat loving friend Tucker announced, grinning._

_When it didn't quite work, his folks they just quit, but then Danny took a look inside of it,_

_"Well, if you do want to hunt ghosts, there are a few things you need to learn." His father, Jack, the orange jumpsuit wearer announced, turning towards all the test tubes in the lab._

There was a great big flash and everything just changed, his molecules got all rearranged,  
  
_A blue mist escaped Danny's mouth, and his eyes widened. "Uh-oh," He muttered, facing the portal that opened up releasing three ectopuses from the portal. "This isn't good." He muttered just as the Ghost's reach out, grabbing his two friends._

_Oblivious to it all, Jack continued talking. "True, I've never seen a ghost, but when I do, I'll be prepared." His father stated proudly. "And so will you. Whether you want to be or not."_

_When he first woke up he realized he had snow white hair and glowing green eyes,_

_Danny gets a determined look on his face. Jack is still messing with the various items on the lab table while Danny jumps off, a white light appearing and disappearing before various fighting noises are heard behind the still talking Jack Fenton._

_"It all starts with your equipment." As he says this he holds up a thermos. Behind him an ectopus goes flying past. Sam and Tucker are flung back into their chairs. Jack goes over to them. "Sam, Tucker, this is the Fenton Thermos." Jack hands the thermos to Sam, and both Sam and Tucker look at it. Jack turns back around to the lab table. "It's supposed to trap ghosts." Behind Jack, yet another ectopus goes flying past. Jack doesn't seem notice. "-but since it doesn't work yet it's just a thermos. A thermos with the word "Fenton" In front of it."_

_He could walk through walls disappear and fly!_

_The ectopuses look defeated and dizzy and fly back into the portal. Another white light flashes, then Danny is standing where the light came from. The portal suddenly closes and Danny jumps back into his chair. Jack points at the now-closed portal. "And that? That is the Fenton Portal. It releases ghosts into our world whether I want it to or not. And someday, I'll figure out how that-" he tapped the door. "-works too." He turned around and walked towards a trembling Sam and Tucker, towering over them. "Now, who wants to hunt some ghosts?" Sam and Tucker were trembling, while Danny was panting and had put a hand on the back of Tucker's chair._

_He was much more unique than the other guys_

_"You kids, look at you! You're too excited to speak! So I'll just go on speaking. I was born many years ago in a log cabin in the woods. Don't exactly remember where, but I do remember I wanted a pony." Sam and Tucker looked at Danny who only hanged his head. "Never got the pony. As a matter of fact we had to eat horsemeat during the war. I had a problem with that."_

_It was then Danny knew what he had to do, he had to stop all the ghost's that were coming through._

_He's here to fight for me and you!_   
  
_He's gonna catch em' all cause he's Danny Phantom, Gonna catch em' all cause he's Danny Phantom, Gonna catch em' all cause he's Danny Phantom!  
_

Robin blinked at the explanation. "I think I got it.." He muttered, Danny grinning.

"Sam wrote me a song to explain it. I thought it was the perfect time to use it." He grinned at the memory.

Robin only chuckled in amusement. "Does this mean you'll stay?"  
  
Danny tilted his head, a small smile appearing. "Why not?"

\---------------------

The two teens- Phantom in his ghost form- walked out of Danny's bedroom, the two laughed and talked all the way to the main room, where Beast Boy and Cyborg fought over the game, and Raven sat reading.  
  
Nodding his head over to the stereo, Danny raised an eyebrow. "Can I join you?" He got a nod in reply as the two sat down, listening to the music instead of allowing the boy's arguing get to them. They had failed to notice Starfire walk in.

"HAPPY BLORTHOG!" She shouted, slightly startling Phantom as Robin threw him a teasing smirk, resulting in a huff and a punch to the shoulder from Phantom. "Huh?" Starfire muttered, staring at the scene before her.  Raven sat off to one side reading, Robin and Phantom stood before a boom box in the kitchen, listening to various music when one changed the song, and Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing on the Game Station, a racing game.  A thundering hip-hop track drowns out all other sound at this point, Robin giving Phantom another victory smirk when the Ghost covered his ears, glaring at the brightly colored teen. Meanwhile, Cyborg and Beast Boy were having a tug-of-war match over the game controller.

"Come on, Beast Boy! Give me that thing!" Cyborg shouted, reaching for the controller.

"Dude! I'm in the middle of a game, Cyborg!" Beast Boy defended himself, trying to get the controller out of Cyborg's reach. Out of the corner of her eyes, Starfire saw Phantom and Robin snicker, before he disappeared.

"Yeah! My game, 'cause it's my turn!" Cyborg snatched the controller back.

"Give me the controller!" Beast Boy shouted, diving for it. Yet, he fell flat on his face as the controller was lifted into thin air, the two's eyes widening.  
  
"Phantom! Let go!" Cyborg shouted, jumping for it as Robin snickered by the radio.

"Give it to me, Phantom! It's my turn!" Beast Boy snapped, reaching up for it, only for the controller to be once again lifted from his grasp. Beast Boy made a frustrated noise, glaring.

"Friends! We must frolic and leap in glorious celebration, for today is Blorthog- the Tamaranean festival of friendship!"  
  
Phantom swore his eye twitched on it's own at the statement, staring at Starfire. Not paying attention, Cyborg managed to snag the controller out of his grasp. "You're gonna pay for that, ghostie!"  
  
Phantom scowled, lunging at Cyborg as the two wrestled, Beast Boy jumping into the fray. Phantom had gotten back the controller, grinning victoriously. Taunting the two teenagers, he waved the control in the air. "Man, did you guys know I'm awesome at racing games?" With a smirk, he managed to crush both their high scores. 'WINNER: PHANTOM! NEW HIGH SCORE!" Flashed on the screen, as the two teens below him scowled.

"Beast Boy!" Cyborg yelled, ignoring Starfire's attempts at giving him a bead necklace.

"Many blessings, friend. May your ears be filled with sugar candies and-"  
  
"What? I'll get back the controller when Raven gives me back my nailclippers." Beast Boy interrupted.  
  
"Not gonna happen. How else am I supposed to keep your toenails off the coffee table?" She deadpanned, the clippers levitating beside her.

Phantom shuddered at the picture. "Thanks for engraving that in my mind forever," He muttered, watching as he tossed the controller in the middle of Cyborg and Beast Boy, watching the two fight for it, hand twitching in annoyance.

Starfire then held out the bells to the two floating teenagers. "Happiness and delight, friends! On this wondrous day I wish you sunshine and bunny-" Starfire paused, sensing Raven's annoyance, and Phantom's twitch of an eyebrow, clearly irritated as well, though at who she could never be sure with him. Taking the hint, she let out a nervous chuckle, backing away.

"Robin, could the music be a little louder? I can still hear myself think." Raven shouted sarcastically.

Robin growled in annoyance. "I only turned the music up to DROWN OUT ALL THE YELLING!!" He shouted, glaring as Phantom cackled off to the side.

"Whose turn is it now, tough guy? Whose turn is it now?" Cyborg asked, holding Beast Boy in a headlock, remote controller raised in his robotic arm.

"Knock it off!" Phantom shouted, huffing in annoyance.

"I can't work with you two acting like idiots!" Robin shouted.

"Great thinking, Robin and Phantom. More yelling will definitely stop all the yelling." Raven drawled out sarcastically.

They turned to growl at her as Cyborg runs screaming across the room remote controller in hand. Meanwhile, Beast Boy had turned into a bear and is charging at him, the former ran back and perches on Starfire's bells, while the latter comes back in human form and tries to catch his breath. "Friends, please!" Star called out as the others argued. Cyborg laughed and waved the control. "You must not-if we could simply-happy Blor-" The strand of beads break. The bells fall loose and hit the floor, bouncing all over the place. Starfire's disbelieving gaze turned down after them, as Robin, Phantom, and Raven grimace at each other, while Beast Boy stays half slumped over. The Tamaranean's shock gives way to fist-clenching anger, and she does her best to keep from blowing her top-but eventually she loses the struggle. "STTTTTOOOOOPPPPP!!" She shouted, causing all the Titan's to freeze in shock. "Friends must never behave this way- and especially not on Blorthog! Do you wish to invite the Rekmas?" She asked fearfully.

"Gesundheit?" Beast Boy asked.

"On my world, "Rekmas" means "the Drifting." The point at which close friends begin to drift apart-and their friendship begins to die." She added sadly, looking away from the other teenagers in the room.

"Aw, come on, Starfire." Cyborg stammered, looking around for help.

"We are so not Rek-whatever-ing..." Beast Boy scratched his head in confusion.

"We're getting on each other's nerves a little. Big deal." Raven shrugged.

"Yeah. This is just typical roommate stuff. We're not going to drift apart, Star. I promise. We'll all be friends forever." Robin reassured, elbowing Phantom when he opened his mouth to say something, earning a huff in response.

"Forever?" She questioned hopefully.

A beeping starts up and cuts off her pondering. The source was Robin's communicator, which he pulled out of his belt, Phantom looking over his shoulder, humming the small famous tune. "Titans! Trouble!" Robin shouted the familiar battle cry, running out, Starfire hesitating to follow, and soon flies off to join them.

\-------------------------

"I didn't journey back in time one hundred years to squabble, I came to steal. The Clock of Eternity. Valuable in the past, priceless in the future." The man chuckled to himself. He reached for the object, only to have his hand deflected by none other than one of Robin's discs.

"But for the present you'll keep your filthy hands off it." He growled.

"The Teen Titans. This is a treat.  I read all about you in the historical archives, though it did lack anything about Phantom. And now you're all history!" The man proceeded to open fire on the titans.

"Titans! Go!" Robin shouted, diving into action. They were over the railing in a heartbeat to avoid the blasts. Warp pivots off to one side and fires again with a shout, aiming at Robin and Phantom, the biggest threats; the latter has his fighting staff out and extended to full length, and he parries the barrage with ease. The last shot, however, breaks the weapon in half and forces him to retreat, Phantom taking up attack instead, followed by Beast Boy in his lion form. Shooting his blasts effortlessly, Danny managed to nail him, before a stray object hit him, knocking him out of the air. Beast Boy's growl is heard, The big green jungle cat has charged, but up came one gold glove, out pops a blaster from the back of it, and off goes a crackling blast. The man had immobilized Beast Boy in mid-leap.

Meanwhile, Raven was in midair on levitating two grandfather clocks. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The fixtures are hurled at him, only to go flying off to the side when he waved his arms. Now, he fired a beam from his helmet that drived her to the ground.

He is in the clear for only a moment, though; Cyborg's sonic cannon blast combined with Starfire's starbolt flashes in, connecting dead on and throwing up a cloud of dust. "Boo yeah!" Cyborg shouted in victory. though quickly retracted it. "Huh.." As the view clears, a force field was up in attempt to absorb the energy, working effectively. Taking it down, he throws something at Cyborg as it lands on his chest and sticks there. It is circular, resembling a kitchen timer, and the pointer turns a notch to send up sparks from every part of the bionic teen's body.

"Draining my power cell! Phantom!" He called out, as newly dubbed warp walked up to him.

He held up a disc. "You cannot defeat Warp. I am from the future." He scales it across the gallery toward the charging Robin and Phantom, who throws a handful of their own discs and ectoblast's. Warp's projectile, however, smashes cleanly through Robin's discs, breaking on impact of Phantom's blasts, then doubles back and homes in again. Robin and Phantom dive aside as it sails the full length of the room and explodes at the other end. "And you relics are one hundred years out of date." He looked Phantom in the eye as he said this, grinning. He turned away; holding the Clock of Eternity. Warp reaches out, his hand passing through the glass, and removes it. He took a few steps across the gallery, stops, and presses the blue lens on his breastplate. It glows blinding white and emits a beam that forms into a portal identical to the one that brought him here. A little adjustment turns the passage black as before. "Ta-ta, Titans. I have enjoyed our time together, but I've got a very bright future ahead of me!" He turned to make his exit, but before he can clear out, Starfire roared in fury and flies straight at him. Surprised, he turned to look back with one foot out the door. "What?" Is all he has time to say before she plowed into him; her momentum carried both of them through the portal, which winks out behind them-an instant before Robin and Phantom hurled themselves at it in attempt to follow. They end up sprawled on the floor, one on top of the other.

\---------------------

Star's POV:  
  
"Let go!" Warp yelled, struggling to get out of the hold, as portals passed the two, no doubt leading to other time periods.

"You have endangered my friends and ruined Blorthog!" Star shouted in rage.

"Stop! If you damage the suit before we reach my future-" She got hold of his chest lens. "No!" He shouted. She rips it away and there is a great flash of white, clearing to leave her floating alone. She gasps and covers her eyes as he drops screaming. Just above her; he falls away. Starfire soon disappearing along with him in another world, landing on soft grass. It was nighttime. "Huh?" She shivered. "What has happened? Why is it cold? And where are my..." She turned her eyes upward looking straight at the base of the Tower, whose windows are all dark and drifted deep with snow at the sills. She gasps softly; her gaze to the top floor, where the main window is broken. The entire impression is one of a building that has fallen into advanced disrepair. "...friends?" She proceeded to fly to the tower. A hole has been smashed at the top, allowing the snowflakes to enter. She landed on the unlit stairs as she mounted them slowly. The device she tore from Warp's armor is clipped securely to her belt.

Flying to the tower, she noticed a hole on the top of the roof, allowing snowflakes to enter the building without protest. Star landed on top of the stairs, walking down slowly, the device she tore from Warp's armor is still clipped to her belt.

"Friends? Hello? Friends? Hello!" She called out.  Finding a set of closed doors in her path, she strains to push them open. Finally one door is forced away, then the other, revealing her silhouette in the meager light from outside. She gasped in shock and advanced slowly; entering the remains of the once operations center. Walking through the kitchen, she looked left and right, not believing a bit of what she saw. Her boots pass the Game Station controller that sparked such a furor between Cyborg and Beast Boy, and nudged one of the bells she dropped long ago, now badly rusted.

The jingling caused her to stop and recoil in fear for a moment, and she stoped, picking up a loose bell. She fixed it with a wide-eyed look of stunned sadness for a long second and watched it crumble on her palm. In the darkness off to one side, a spot of red light begins to glow as some machinery is heard; she gasps and looks toward this.

"Cyborg!" The red dot did not move, so she held up one glowing hand to shed some light. "Oh, Cyborg, thank goodness you are-" The illumination reaches the dark niche and exposes something that has Cyborg's approximate body shape, but is built entirely of mechanical parts. The source of the red spot is an electronic brain sitting in one side of the head. Starfire cried out in fear and threw a starbolt that blowed the collection of circuitry away, only to be confronted by several spider-like robots that jump up from behind the shoulders. Each looks like the part she just destroyed. Now she tossed one shot after another to knock them out, but is interrupted by the arrival of a new figure at the entrance.

"Yo! Phantom, you'd better not be blasting my-" He stopped, lowered the pipe, and stared dumbfounded. "Star?" The bludgeon slides from his fingers and clatters to the floor, and he comes closer to look her over from head to toe. "Starfire. I don't believe it. You...you haven't aged a day!"

"Cyborg, what has happened? Why are...you..." She stammered.

"Old?" He smiled gently, then crossed the operations center. "Well, that's what happens to folks when you go away for twenty years."

"Twenty years?!"

"You disappeared, Star." He slid some junk aside. "That battle with Warp, that was a long time ago. You fell through a wormhole, and..." He looked out the cracked window. Across the frozen bay, the skyline of Jump City huddles under its blanket of snow and the hovering cruel dark sky. "Welcome to the future."

"The future? But..." She removed the lens from her belt and held it up. "...I damaged his technology."

Cyborg took the disc and looked at it. "Warp was planning to jump ahead one hundred years, right? Looks like you stopped him at twenty."

She took it back. "Still, I am confused. Please, why are you in disrepair?"

He looked down at himself, then turned away. "Let's just say things haven't gone so well since you left." He approached the windows; Starfire following.

"But what of the other Titans? Where are our friends?"

"The Titans are history, Star. Your friends aren't friends anymore."

"No. You are wrong. This...everything is wrong! How could such terrible things..." She looked at the lens in her hand. "Warp! His interference in the past must have changed our future."

"Star, I don't think-"

"He caused all this badness to happen. He made this technology, and he is the one who can make things right!" She flew over and landed by Cyborg. "We must find Warp. You will help me?"

"I wish I could. My last power cell burned out years ago. I've tried adapting this new stuff to my old circuits, but...I can't leave the Tower, Star. I'm obsolete. Maybe one of the others can help. I can tell you how to find BB and Raven."

"What of friend Phantom And Robin?"

"We lost touch a long time ago. If you're looking for them, you're on your own." He watched as she flew off, a small smirk on his face. "Though, Phantom does tend to pop up and bug us, just for a smile." He frowned. "No matter how much the poor kid's been through." He walked back further into the tower.

\----------------

Starfire landed on the other side of the cage bars to peer in, finally finding her friend. Beast Boy returned to human form-bald on top, having gained a great deal of weight, and not wearing his belt.

"No way!" He moved to the bars. "It's you. But how?"

"I require your help."

"What kinda help?"

"The future is not as it should be. We must find Warp." She warmed up a starbolt. "I will free you from this-"

Beast Boy panicked. "This cage isn't to keep me in! It's to keep those maniacs out!" She wound down and leaned in closer. "Look. After the Titans broke up, I tried the whole solo-hero thing. Got my butt kicked-a lot. So now, well..." He turns briefly into a squawking chicken to make his point. "Besides, I'm in the showbiz now."

Her eyes tell just how false this excuse rings with her, as she took off, wanting to find Raven.

She walked along a balcony in a broken-down building. At the far end, a single fluorescent tube flickered and threw its inadequate light onto a steel door. She got a hand to the knob and turned it. The room inside is pure white, with no features of any kind visible. In the far corner, wearing a white cloak with the hood up, a short figure stands with its back to and its head bowed.

"Raven? Raven, it is Starfire, your friend." She moveed into the room.

The white-cloaked figure did not turn from the corner. "No such thing."

"Please, Raven, I-"

"Just another figment. Don't even look."

"You must listen! I am here because-"

"I'm never coming back! Go away!" She yelled back furiously. "It has to go away. Just like before. Just like all the others."

"Your mind." She approached the cloaked figure. "Without friends, you must have-" As she is about to touch her former teammate's back, a shield pops up to block her and she gasped. Dropping her head, resignedly, she exited and closed the door behind her.

"What's the matter, dear? Have I come at a bad time?" He questioned, standing near the ledge. His face was lined and drawn from the past two decades. He cuts loose with a fusillade that peppers the snow all around her; she stands for a moment, pinned down, and then gets clear of the ground. Flying past him and over the buildings, she dodged his shots and returned fire, but as in the museum, he puts up a force field to stop her starbolts. Now she floated down to his level and got ready to lay a big one on him-but he merely waves a hand and encased her in ice.  She dropped to the street; the frozen layer shatters, and she is left twitching and groaning in a crater of snow. Warp stepped closer to her and soon finds himself on the receiving end of her angry glare. However, it gives way to bewilderment once she gets a good close look at him. "You have also become old."  
  
"That's what happens when someone steals my vortex regulator." He held out a hand. "The regulator, if you please. I really must get back to my future."  
  
She stood and pulled it off her belt. "If you ever wish to see your future," She warmed up a starbolt. "You will repair the damage you have done to my past!"

"Damage? Silly girl. There's nothing wrong with your past. One cannot damage history, because history cannot be changed. I went back in time to steal this because history says it disappeared. And history says it disappeared because I went back to steal it. Past, present, future. It's all written in stone, my dear." The minute hand advanced, showing the time at 12:00. Starfire winded down the blast she was about to throw; he took the lens, or regulator, from her hand. "And nothing you do can ever change it." He raised one arm and extended a blaster from his wrist, ready to fire-but something hurtled in, knocking him into an alley. Standing up, it is a black silhouette with long hair, and it threw Warp even farther down the way to bounce off a dead-end wall. The figure produces a couple of discs between its fingers and throws, revealing a gray utility belt and wrist guards; they explode in a fireball that engulfs the time traveler, and the thrower runs straight toward the blast zone for a jump, another figure appearing beside it, catching the other figure. The flame and smoke clear to show that Warp has once again shielded himself with a force field. He let it down and looked skyward to see the new figures flying straight toward him. "Another time, perhaps." He dropped into the ground an instant before the advancing shadows land there. Starfire moves cautiously into the alley as this person straightens up, his partner following, both hidden in the shadows.

"It's good to see you again." One muttered, as the other wrapped their arms around the figure.

"Robin?" Starfire asked, narrowing her eyes at the arms. He advanced into the light. Skintight black uniform, with a large angular design of a blue hawk on the chest; black gloves and matching eye mask that angled down to cover his nose as well; accompanied by long hair. The other figure took a hesitant step forward, revealing long white hair, black combat boots, glowing green eyes, and a change of costume. Phantom had his famous DP symbol engraved into his Black and White hoodie, thermoses' strapped to both arms, one for a weapon, and the other for capturing ghost's, and he wore black jeans accompanied by chains.

"Call me Nightwing, and he goes by Casper now."

\-----------------

Casper eyed the girl who disappeared long ago with warning. Nightwing laughed, squeezing his arm. "Is some one jealous~?"  
  
"Wha- no!" He stammered, glaring down at the floor.

"Casper, we've been married for five years. Have some." Nightwing grinned, walking towards their computer, grabbing a blanket, placing it on Starfire's shoulders. "I heard you've been looking for help."  
  
"There is nothing you can do. There is nothing anyone can do. The past cannot be repaired, the future cannot be altered, no matter how wrong it seems."

"So, what if it's impossible?" He walked towards the computers. "Good. If memory serves, we've done the impossible before. Casper held onto these, just in case. Always hoping we'd need this one day." The panel slides open, and up popped their old communicators. Starfire moved closer to make sure her eyes are not deceiving her. He picks one up and pressed a button; instantly its T starts to flash red. She is delighted to find that the black stones in her neck piece and wrist guards are coming to life in the same manner, an emergency signal built into them, Phantom's DP symbol lighting up in the dark cave as well, grinning at the worn down communicator.  
  
"I couldn't give it away." 

\--------------

"Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Just a few more seconds, and I shall finally-" A green ectoblast and short staff was sent his way, knocking the disc out of his hands, Nightwing sitting on a balcony railing, Phantom floating beside him, all ready for action.  
  
"The future will have to wait." He extended his staff. "You just ran out of time."  
  
Casper grinned from beside him. "Man, do I love your old banter." With a frustrated growl, Warp brought up his shoulder lasers and fired off a few rounds that sent the three heroes diving away. Nightwing scaled a handful of explosive discs at him, Starfire unloads a blast, Phantom unleashed an ectoblast, and Warp used a force field to stop their onslaught. The three come down to ground level as he drops the barrier and the smoke clears. Now he gives them both barrels; they rush in closer, and Starfire fires off a shot that he deflects just as he did twenty years earlier. This time, though, she gets out of the way of the ricochet.

Nightwing and Casper, meanwhile, are both charging ahead through Warp's laser blasts. They are is in mid-leap, bearing down on the time-jumping thief, and the end of his staff shatters one of the two lasers, Casper's foot hitting a black shield. The former Titans land behind him, and Warp turns around only to get a starbolt in the back that bowls him over. He fired his remaining laser at Starfire, who leapt away, and then turned his attention back to Nightwing and Casper. The latter is jumping in again, staff at the ready, and he brings it down in a mighty overhead swing that just misses Warp, Phantom going in for an ectoblast, Warp only holding up a shield to block it. One laser blast after another is batted away without breaking the shaft this time; next the black-clad fighter starts swinging for the fences, forcing Warp to back up as he blocks each strike.

Nightwing fought quickly, allowing Casper to get some jabs in, his staff flashing everywhere almost at once. One final roundhouse from the two adults found its mark and sends Warp to the ground; Nightwing, Casper, and Starfire step up to him as she wound down her starbolts. The villain, however, just grins and adjusted the aim of his working laser. A shot goes straight up to the roof and blows a hole through it, dumping in a pile of snow and rubble that buried Starfire.

"Starfire!" The two cried out. Nightwing is blasted away, Phantom followed shortly, Warp having used his wrist weapon to do this job. He retracted it and ran across the place to pick up the welding torch that was knocked out of his hand. Before he can do any more repair work, though, a mighty blast from Cyborg's cannon connected squarely with his chest and launched him over the length of the place to slam down behind a cabinet.

Starfire, having been dug out of the rubble, and Nightwing look confusedly back toward the source, Phantom all the while grinned at the bionic man himself, on the scene and free of the wiring that had held him in place. His circuitry glows blue with life as he lowers the cannon. "Boo-yah."  
  
"Cyborg!" Casper shouted happily, zooming over, slamming into the adult for a hug.

"Nice to see you too, Casper," Cyborg chuckled, as Starfire flew over, followed by Nightwing.

"Cyborg! You are repaired!" Starfire shouted happily.

"Glad you could make it." Nightwing smirked at his husband's antics, shaking his head.

"Wouldn't have missed it. Now who said y'all could start without me?" Cyborg asked, as Casper chuckled, finally having released him.

"So sorry. Perhaps I should finish you first!" He held up a timer device.

Beast Boy, as a lion, charged in and raked his claws along the gold armor to send sparks up from it. Warp raised his arm and brought the blaster up from his wrist-but before he can use it, Raven's powers exert themselves over the hand, then the whole body, and he is flung back to the far wall. The five heroes look that way, completely at a loss, and see her "soul self" materialize from the floor. It raised high into the air, and the black bird outline swirled to become the telekinetic former Titan. Under the cloak, her outfit is still black.

"Nobody hurts my friends." She backed up to join the others.

Beat Boy, back in human form, looks up at Nightwing's and Phantom's full head of hair and rubs his own bald scalp enviously. " Dude, that is so unfair." Casper cackled in delight.

Warp activates the regulator, now back on his chest, to open a wormhole and turn it black. "It seems my time has come." Nightwing hurled something at him; he countered with one of his own. Warp's disc moves in, approaching, but is sliced neatly in half by one wing. The device slams into his regulator and cracks it; electricity crackles all over his body as he begins to grow younger. "Uh!?! No! Noooo! NOOOOOOO!!" Warp shouted. As he aged in reverse, his body shrinked, and his outfit started to flap emptily. In addition, the pitch of his voice goes higher and higher. Finally the sparks stop spitting and the armored suit lies deflated on the floor; no head is visible in the helmet. With the other Titans watching, totally mystified, Beast Boy reached down and pulls the breastplate away. Underneath it is Warp, now a screaming baby.

"Okay. I am not changing any diapers."  
  
"We gotta get you home. Come on!" Cyborg pulled the regulator free and fit it to the muzzle of his cannon. A sustained blast hit the wormhole, which is nearly closed, and forced it back to its original size. "I'm redirecting the wormhole. Starfire, go!"  
  


She steps uneasily toward it, but stops to look back pleadingly at her former friends. "Please, must this really be our future?" No answer. "Is there nothing I can do to change it?"  
  
Nightwing finally stepped up, Casper gripping his hand. "I'm sorry, Star. There isn't time." He takes her hand with his free one, and placed the Clock in it-the artifact that started this whole mess two decades ago-and she lowered her head for a moment. Raising it as he put a hand on her shoulder, she gives him a tender smile with her eyes full of tears. He takes a few steps back to join the rest of the old crew, and husband. The last thing she sees as she moves into the black gateway, was Casper crying lightly into Nightwing's shoulder, knowing he was going to lose him.

\------------------

A flash fills the gallery, followed by a second wormhole that opens behind him and Cyborg. Starfire is dumped out to land in a huddled kneeling position, cradling the Clock, and the four boys leaned in.

"Dude!" Beast Boy's jaw dropped.

Cyborg blinked. "Whoa!"

"Star! What happened?" Robin asked as the wormhole closed.

"History said it disappeared." Starfire straightened up, showing the Clock intact. "But history was wrong!"

\----------------

"Then Nightwing handed me the clock-"  
  
"Wait, me and Robin were married?!"  
  
"Bald!? You're telling me I'm going to be bald?!"  
  
"Guess you were right about all that Rekmas stuff."

"I don't want us to drift apart..." Robin eyed Danny, still surprised himself. "Does it all have to happen? Isn't there anything we can-"  
  
"Our friendship has already changed Warp's past. I believe it can also change our future."  
  
One by one, the loose bells from the string that broke under Cyborg's feet float up in Raven's influence. "So...is it too late to do this festival-of-friendship thing?"

"Oh, it's never too late!" Starfire replied ecstatic. Raven levitates strings down around Beast Boy's and Cyborg's necks; she is already wearing one of her own, and the shape-shifter's hairline has fixed itself.

Phantom picked one up himself, placing it around Robin's neck. "Casper, huh?" Robin rose an eyebrow.

"Nightwing, huh?" Danny shot back, eyebrow cocked. The two broke out into laughter.   
  
Once Robin calmed, he placed a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Seriously, though. We need to talk." Phantom gulped, and nodded in response.

"HAPPY BLORTHOG!!" Cyborg shouted into Raven's ear.

"I thought it was 'Blort-hog.'" Beast Boy muttered.

"Okay, I feel like a wind chime." Raven grumbled.

Robin grinned. "For now, let's enjoy the celebration, Casper."  
  
Danny groaned. "This is probably how I got my name. You nicknaming me Casper."  
  
Robin only smirked in amusement.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song or the back story for Phantom not made by me. Hope you all enjoyed the fluffy chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

Phantom growled, pulling at the restrains that kept him from phasing through, as the others growled next to him, attempting to pull free.  
  
"Moring, sleeping beauty's." Phantom muttered.  
  
"What?" Cyborg glanced around the unfamiliar room.

"Huh? Am I the only one who has no idea where we are?" Beast Boy asked.

"Why, you're right where you belong, my duckies." A man stood at an open set of double doors on one balcony. Light from the other side obscures him for the moment, but a cane can be seen in one hand, an cockney accent being heard. "You're in school!"

Phantom snorted. "Been there, done that. Not interested."  
  
The man leapt onto the banister of the nearby staircase and slid down it, giving the six teens a better view. He was most likely in his early forties; red hair in a Beatle cut with muttonchop sideburns; small rectangular sunglasses; sportcoat with the design of the British Union Jack flag; black shirt; white kerchief tied at the neck; white pants; brown shoes with black socks. His cane was topped with a large ruby, making Phantom wary.

He landed near Starfire, twirling the staff in one hand. "That's right, lads and loveys. You're the only students at Mad Mod's Institute for Bratty Teenage Do-Gooders." He tossed the cane high, to his other hand, and held it out. "And it's high time someone taught you sprogs a lesson!"  
  
"What lesson, exactly?" Phantom raised an eyebrow, glaring at the Mad Man.

Right after Phantom had said that, the floor is seen to be tiled in a black and white checkerboard pattern. White light flares from the ruby as Mad Mod finishes, the Titan's straining to see it.

"Uh-oh." Beast Boy muttered.

Mad Mod was strolling leisurely toward the teens, the ruby on his cane blazing. As he nears the Titans, he raised the stick for a swing. "Titan's, move!"  Robin shouted across to the others, who are unable to break their bonds; Beast Boy cycled through lizard and cobra forms as he strained against his. Mad Mod was now prancing around at the foot of the stairs and twirling the cane.

"Ectoblast's are a no go," Phantom growled out.

The Titan's turned to him, and tilted their heads. "Friend Phantom, why did your shoes change?" Phantom looked down, and sure enough, his shoes has turned to his normal wear. The ropes must be neutralizing his powers.

Robin realized this, and had decided to get the topic off of Phantom by glaring at Mad Mod. "Care to tell us why?"

"Specially designed chairs, love." Mad Mod leaned closer to Phantom. "Can't have those nasty superpowers disrupting my lecture now, can I?"  
  
"Get away from him!" Robin hissed out, glaring.

The bizarre Brit straightened up, glanced over at Robin, and thrusted the cane into his face. Its ruby flares up anew, more intensely, and Robin recoiled from the glare as far as he can.

"Now don't get your knickers in a twist, my little snot." He backed off. "I didn't go to all the trouble of building this school and filling your Tower with knockout gas just to finish you off lickety-split."

"Then what do you want?" Raven glared.

"Just what I said, dearie." He leaned into her face. "To teach you lot a lesson!" He turned away and scratched himself. "Yes, I've been watching you children misbehave. And I hate misbehaving children."

He pointed the cane off to one side.. A picture of him turned around to show Cyborg and Raven beating on Thunder and Lightning. "Fighting crime." The second painting, which swiveled  to show Robin and Starfire cradling puppies, and Phantom a baby girl, they had rescued from a blazing fire behind them, Phantom and Robin smiling in adoration.

The two lifted their heads proudly for that.

"Saving lives." The third picture showed Beast Boy, as a dog, pulling down Plasmus' shorts, Phantom cackling loudly in the background. "Interfering with the plans of hardworking villains, AND laughing at them?! Why, you lot are nothing but a bunch of troublemakers!"

As he points the cane around, each in turn reacted with varied expressions of fury.But you'll learn your place soon enough. "You see, I'm older than you, so I'm bigger, badder, and better."  
  
Phantom snorted. "Not how the other adults tell it." Phantom was then hit with the cane. "Ow!" He whined, itching to rub his head out of habit.  
  
"You're in my world now. And you won't be getting out 'til you've learned some proper respect."

"We will get out. And when we do-" Robin was cut off with a bell.

Man, Phantom so did _not_   miss those things. It meant life or death! And in this case, Death.

"Oh, dear, there's the bell, my duckies. Off to class!" The tiles under their chairs disappeared, dropping them each in a room.

\---------------------

Phantom growled, tugging at the ropes that bound him to the chair.

"You have a secret! And secret's aren't a nice thing here at Mad Mod's school for troubled children! Tell me, lad! What's that secret? Does it have something to do with Robin, perhaps?" A face on the chalkboard asked, grinning, knowing he had struck a nerve.

"That doesn't concern you!" Phantom shouted, tugging at the binds once more.

"Tsk tsk, you're behaving badly! Time for detention!" A prison cell formed around the room, Phantom trapped within.  
  
"When I get out of here-"  
  
"Ta ta, my duckie! I've got students to teach!" He then left the room, leaving Phantom there, tied to a chair, in a jail cell.

Phantom groaned, facing his worst enemy; boredom.

Phantom hummed, before tapping a beat on his seat. _It's been.._ He checked the clock. _Only a minute?!?!_  Getting restless, he groaned. "CAN I BE LET OUT NOW?" He yelled, tired of being in there. He checked the clock. He had lasted a minute and a half.  
  
As if an answer to his prayer, Robin burst into the room, relived to see his friend. "Danny!" Robin rushed over to him, ripping off the ropes, and pulled the teenager into a hug.

"'Bout time.." Danny mumbled, hiding a blush in the teens neck.

"I see you've done about three costume changes." Robin murmured, as Danny chuckled, nodding. His shirt had changed, pants, and boots.

"Yeah, Thanks by the way, I owe you one. And Robin?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I-"

"NO!" Starfire's voice rang in their ears, as Robin immediate concern became Starfire. He let go, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, a habit he had learned from Danny.

"We will talk about this later. Let's go." He pulled Phantom along, the half ghost now back in his full attire, and raced up a ladder in a library to the sound of Starfire's voice.

"I will not read your book of meanness and swirls!" The arms grab her head and forced her to face front.

"Now, now, love, it's for your own good." She began to succumb. "Nothing teaches discipline and respect like a brain-erasing trance."

She closed her eyes on the end of this, but the wooden fingers soon pry them back open; she gasped in shock and looked upward, where a large section of tiling opens to reveal a giant rubber "OVERDUE" stamp. The letters are shaped backwards, right to left, so that the word can be properly read after use. "Besides, if you won't stop squirming..." It pistoned down and stamped the floor, crushing a few desks to splinters. "...I won't stop squashing!"  
  
The stamp moved closer and cycled again. Gasping in sheer terror, Starfire renewed her effort to get out of the chair; her head being released. Now it came down right in front of her, throwing bits of wood in her face. As she stared, horrified, the string of huge rubber letters positioned itself directly over her head and hurtled down, the oblong shadow falling across her face, she lets go with a scream of abject fear.

The shadow of that rubber stamp falls on her, and she screamed, much longer and louder than before. Robin dived across the floor before Phantom could stop him, and plowed her out of the way a split second before OVERDUE is stamped into the tiles. The chair was knocked onto its back, Robin pulling out a tiny welding torch to attack the energy restraints that have been neutralizing her starbolts, Phantom floating down.

"Are all the schools on your planet this horrible?" She asks.

"Yes." Phantom deadpanned.

"No." Robin answered. "Now, come on!"

Starfire was yanked up with a gasp; a moment later, some of the books hit her chair and explode, blowing it to bits. The trio reach a set of shelves and head straight up-Robin climbing, Starfire and Phantom flying-as more volumes hit and detonate all around them. Robin is jarred loose by the blasts and falls screaming back toward the attacking literature. Phantom immediately dived after him, Starfire staring down with worry. Catching Robin just in time, Danny phased the three out of the room.

"Robin! I wish to thank you for rescuing me from-"  
  
"Don't thank me yet. And Phantom helped."  
  
She sent Phantom an annoyed look, yet thanked him.

"Mad Mod still has us right where he wants us. I know we could take him if we could just get our hands on him. But every time we get out of one trap..."

"...there's another one waiting." Phantom finished, eyes wide.

Starfire turned to look behind and gasped upon seeing them. Behind her, Sculptures were lined up. The sunglasses on one slide up the forehead and a missile pops out of the nose; spinning blades emerge from another's ears; a third's jaw opens to reveal a stun gun; the hair of the last rises to show a cannon inside the head.

Phantom chuckled at Robin's annoyed look.

He gets ready for a little kung fu action, but Starfire thought better of it when a cannon shot lands too close for comfort. She yanked him off into one of the square patterns, Phantom scowled, flying after her.

"Run, my duckies! Run all you like-but you'll never get out!"

They had now moved from bottom to top, then looked ahead to show a spiraling pattern of concentric squares just ahead. They reach it, and tumble screaming toward its center-gravity has just hiccupped again. Inside another room, near ceiling level; the tiles are all white and marked with the symbols of the chemical elements. Some giant model of molecules have been set up as well. As the yells grow louder, one tile flips open and the three teens drop out. Robin tumbled along the floor, Phantom tucking the teen into his chest, allowing no injury to come to his leader, while Starfire brought herself to a midair stop above him. Giant beakers and test tubes filled with solutions line the walls, along with a microscope and a Bunsen burner. Danny came to the conclusion they were in the Chemistry lab. He smirked at the old memories.

They headed further into the room, as they pass behind each container of chemicals, their image distorts in a different way.

"It's no good procrastinating, really, because sooner or later you'll both end up like him."  
  
Danny and Robin growl at Mad Mod. "Beast Boy!"

At the end of the lab, where a few desks have been set up, a head can just be seen over the top of a chair that is front and center, positioned for a full view of the overhead projector screen that hanged down from the ceiling at an angle. The hypnotic pattern used on the other three teens is playing across it. Drool ran down Beast Boy's chin, babbling incoherently.

Robin, Phantom, and Starfire moved in for a closer look. "Ah, yeah. A model student, that one. Lovely. Sits there, quietly, never thinks about misbehaving-matter of fact, he never thinks at all!" Mad Mod chuckled.

"He stole my joke.." Danny muttered, gasping for breath when Robin elbowed him.

"Beast Boy! Awaken! Your friends are here! Beast Boy?" She snapped her fingers; no good. Now she stepped to the screen and warms up a starbolt to knock it out, but Robin stopped her before she can fire.

"Wait! Trust me."  
  
Danny watched in amusement as the test tubes blow their stoppers and all the chemicals in the place boil over. Colorful toxic slop spread across the floor, dissolving desks as it reaches them. Robin frees Beast Boy from the chair and hands him to Starfire.

"Here's your hall pass. Meet you outside." Starfire flew out. Danny raised an eyebrow as Robin did unnecessary parkour. He was right there!  
  
Diving down, annoyed at being ignored, Phantom grabbed Robin's waist, flying him out of the room, ignoring the bird's protests and squeaks, as he landed next to Starfire.

"Beast Boy? It is I, Starfire, your friend. Please! Speak to me! Beast Boy? Beast Boy?" She knocks on his head a couple of times, then sucks in a huge breath. "BEEEEEEAAAAAASSSSSSTTTTTT BOOOOOOYYYYYY!!"  
  
Phantom winced at the loud volume, covering his ears quickly.

"Ah, Star? I don't think that's working. On him, at least." The two glanced over at Phantom, who hesitantly removed his hands, a drop of ectoplasm on one. "Phantom?" Robin turned his attention to the shocked hero, who snapped himself out of it.  
  
"Sorry, really sensitive hearing-." He muttered, only to get cut off by Starfire.

"But we must do something or he will remain this way forever."

Beast Boy sat up, wavered a bit, and tumbled against her midsection. A door is heard opening as she pushed him away. "Mad Mod! Come on!" He hustled away Starfire, not quite sure of the proper hygiene protocol to follow here, nodded over at Phantom who gently picked Beast Boy up. The three ended up huddling behind the staircase.

"We'll hide here and then take him by surprise. Any way to keep him quiet?" Robin glanced behind him as Beast Boy lay comfortably in Phantom's arm. He did _not_ scowl in anger at the sight.

Phantom grinned, slapping some ectoplasm over the changeling's mouth, giving Robin a thumbs up.

Robin peeked out, saw a shadow approaching, then ducked back briefly and leaped out with Starfire right behind him, Phantom staying behind to protect the changeling. Robin's foot was extended for a kick, Star's hands ready to fire a starbolt, Cyborg's sonic cannon, a large black hand projected by Raven. There is a white flash, which clears to leave the four Titans ready to unload on each other; Raven has suspended Robin in midair.

"Cyborg! Raven!" She wound down, Phantom coming out of his hiding spot with Beast Boy. "Oh, how glad we are to see you!"

"This place is making me crazy!" Robin growled out.

Cyborg shook his head. "Tell me about it. Mad Mod's wacked-out computer lab nearly crashed my hard drive."

"Where did our captor send you?" Starfire asked Raven.

Raven opened her cloak partially and revealed, instead of her usual black outfit, a white jersey with a large zero on its front, complete with referee's whistle. "Gym."  
  
Phantom shuddered. "Gym, the one place Dash and his-" He paused, a brief look of sadness washing over. Shaking himself out of it, he smiled brightly, though Robin new it was a fake. "The one place us nerds sucked at."  
  
"Anybody seen BB?" Phantom raised up his arms, giving the changeling a glare.  
  
"He's enjoying a nap."  
  
"Mad Mod's hypno-screens." Robin explained. "We can't snap him out of it. We've tried everything."

"Did you try this?" Phantom raised an eyebrow as Cyborg walked closer, pulls one ear wide open, and fired a major-league belch directly into it. Beast Boy laughs, shaken out of his trance. At this, Phantom drops the teen onto the ground.

"Nice one!" His laughter died. "Uh...how did I get here and why am I covered in drool?"

"Wonderful! Now we need only to locate an exit."

Cyborg got out his cannon. "Or just keep blasting 'til we make one."

"Easy. Last thing I smashed tried to smash me back. I'm sure this whole place is booby-trapped." Robin huffed, Phantom nodding beside him.

Beast Boy pops up nearby and wipes himself clean. "Then how are we supposed to get out?"

"We're not. Don't you get it? Mad Mod's just gonna keep messing with us until-"

"-we mess with him." Phantom finished for Raven, who nodded. "That cane of his.." He hesitated. "..controls everything in here. We take the cane-"

"-we take control-" Cyborg grinned.

"-and take him down!" Beast Boy crossed the floor. "Oh, I'll find him. That demented doofus is never hypnotizing me again!

A painting on the wall pops out and swung out to face him, showing that hypnotic ring pattern. In no time flat, he is salivating, gurgling, and stumbling to the floor. Phantom catching him, growling in irritation.

"Come on." Mad Mod came through a trick black tile in the floor. "Won't you lot ever learn?" He balanced the cane on one finger, then twirled it. "You're in my world, my duckies." He pressed he ruby; the doors behind him open. "You can't win." He ran off quickly.

"Titans! Go!" Robin shouted.

"But how do I-" Phantom glanced down at the changeling.

Cyborg yelled over his shoulder. "Make him laugh!"

Phantom glanced down at Beast Boy, hesitating. "I can't believe I'm about to say this.." Phantom growled, and said the next part as serious as he could. "Box Ghost." The teen smirked, yet looking down at Beast Boy, he was still drooling. "I thought that was funny.." Phantom mumbled, picturing the ghost in his mind. "What does he want? Something immature like boogers?"  
  
Beast Boy woke up laughing. "Boogers!" He turned to face Phantom. "Aw, man!"  
  
He was then yanked off with a shout to join the chase, Phantom pulling the teen down the hall lined with various pictures of Mad Mod; the real McCoy, wore goggles with a sheepskin coat and helmet over his suit, zoomed along and on a motor scooter. The Titans go after him, the other two teens having caught up, passed a picture of him in his original outfit. A bunch of bananas hid the face, but the painting pulled them away and glared after the team-he has pulled a quick change and given them the slip.

Down the hall; a statue resembling Michelangelo's David is in the fore, but with Mad Mod's head and a round Union Jack patch covering the waist. The bananas were thrown after the Titans, who were at the far end, and the fruitloop jumped out of the frame and ran off; they charged after him. Now back in his suit and reclining on his scooter's seat, he motored down the. The six heroes do likewise, but a mighty flash from that direction sent them back the way they came. Mad Mod is after them, having ditched the coat in favor of an enormous bazooka which he fired time after time.

In a long, wide room, whose white floor and ceiling are marked with a lattice of large holes, Mad Mod rolls in and dropped out of sight; the Titans try to follow, but the hole has solidified to block them. As Robin drummed his fingers on the floor, the nutcase pops back up two spots over, without his scooter. The team leader runs to grab him, but suddenly drops through the hole between him and Mad Mod, who raised through the ceiling. Beast Boy briefly becomes a tiger and jumped after the villain; the other four poking their heads in everywhere-and out in all sorts of impossible places. Cyborg even picked up one hole, holds it sideways, and steps through; it falling flat like a manhole cover, and Starfire jumped on it for a moment and shrugs before plummeting out of sight, Phantom diving after the two. Raven is left floating by herself in as the other four heads of her friends start popping up all around her like a Whack-a-Mole game gone haywire. She is scared into a hole when Cyborg peeks up with his head much larger than normal. A moment later, all six reappear-with musical instruments and dressed in the sort of garish clothes. Robin had a Guitar, Phantom held a microphone, Cyborg held the Bass, Raven was at Keyboard, Beast Boy at the drums, and Starfire with the Tambourine. Mad Mod drove past, once again leaning back on the seat, and the Titans zip out of their new threads to give chase.

On a long, winding staircase, Mad Mod is powering his scooter up the incline. They raced along for all they are worth, and he reached a door at the top and stopped. A press of the cane's ruby turned the stairs into a slide, sending the three boys down and Raven, Starfire, and Phantom floated above the surface, watch them go. At the bottom, a hatch opened and a short stretch of stairs emerged, turning itself into a set of snapping jaws. Beast Boy screams and immediately became an octopus. As he neared the floor, Raven and Starfire fly down, Phantom by their side. He stopped his slide by wrapping two tentacles around the former while the latter grabs two others. Robin thumps into him, then started to panic just in time to get four hundred pounds of a bionic Titan into his face-but the makeshift safety net holds. Robin sits up, dazed. The girls haul Beast Boy and Cyborg up, Phantom grabbing Robin on his waist. Once landing, Cyborg gave Robin a shrug and a sheepish grin.

They are carried up and the view changed behind them to show a hall with many doors on either side. Mad Mod rides in and, as the Titans slide through in a heap, exited through a far door. Beast Boy reverted to human form and stood there, slightly dazed, while the other five bolt to the other end. The Limey runs across the hall and soon has a green dog nipping at his heels. Now Robin peeked out, caught sight of him, and runs that way while Cyborg crossed the hall. Beast Boy, as a gorilla, shambled through and just missed Mad Mod riding a "penny-farthing" bicycle; Starfire chased him as Raven goes the other way, Phantom stood ground, growling in frustration as one door flips up to the ceiling, the opposite one down onto the floor, and Mad Mod drives across in an old-style roadster. Cyborg came from a near door; he heads back and through a farther one-but his image does not shrink from Phantom's view as one might expect, and he has to crawl out. Robin dashed out close to the back wall and toward a near door; the perspective trick is reversed, and he comes up very small and has to jump to it. However, he gets the hinges instead of the knob and the door swings open the wrong way. _Out he goes._ Phantom mused.

Starfire charged across, riding Beast Boy as an ostrich, and Mad Mod-now wearing a coonskin cap atop his suit-paddles a canoe across the floor. Raven flew out and hung for just a moment before Beast Boy, as a gargantuan gerbil, ran across; her eyes pop in surprise and she followed him out. Robin ran into a hall and watched as the other four Titans go everywhere with Phantom; Beast Boy turned up as a whale at one point, then as a small elephant when the lower panel of a door flips open and the four dash through as perspective-tricked miniatures. He then sees a green penguin fly past, followed by the other three Titans and the fourth as a monkey.

Finally all the Titans gather in one place, and he points furiously in several directions. They fan out to five different doors and, at a signal from Robin, pull them open all at once. Nothing behind any of them, so, they tiptoe to the door nearest the to Phantom, which no one tried. Robin smirked at his comrades and yanked the knob-and all scream as the head of a colossal reptilian creature pokes through and roared at them, Phantom cackling in the background.

Mad Mod, meanwhile, stepped leisurely from a far door and waved to them before walking back out. The bust moved slightly; The Titans run up-Beast Boy back in human form-and Robin flipped the head back to expose a knob. A quick twist, and  their faces go slack with surprise.

"Finally!" Phantom grinned staring at the meadow.

"No way!" Ravens eyes widened.

"Is that what I think it is?" Beast Boy asked.

"One way to find out." Robin replied as they headed towards the meadow.

"Looks like the real deal."

Robin held up one hand and waved it around. It teared open, dumping them onto the floor. Starfire gasped.

"No!" Cyborg shouted.

Robin groaned in disgust, as Phantom hit the wall in frustration.

"Right back where we started!" Robin ground out.

A section of the floor flipped over, Mad Mod walking into the room. "Of course you are, my duckies." He tapped the tiles with his cane and was promptly carried high into the air. "Class is over-and you lot haven't learned a thing. That's a failing grade for each blooming one of you." A big red F appeared on the underside of the platform. "There's only one thing for it. You'll have to repeat the entire lesson!"

The stairs retract up to the first balcony as he said that, after which all the walls fell outward to expose a curving black-and-white sunburst pattern all around. It's broken only by the doors and paintings, which remain exactly where they were. Many more busts move in, sporting a nasty variety of weapons. Mad Mod laughed maniacally.

Standing in the middle of the others, the newly re-hypnotized Beast Boy, Courtesy from Mod's Painting, starts to babble and drivel as he crumpled slowly toward the ground. Raven caught him, Phantom sighing in relief behind her. And then come the statues.

"Time for class, my duckies. Everyone back to your seats!"  
  
"Titans! Get that cane!" Phantom stared warily at the cane, as Cyborg, Starfire, and robin gave a hearty yell and charged.

Raven, meanwhile, was clearly disgusted, and had no idea what to do with the fallen Beast Boy. "Um..."

The front of several busts open up to reveal small missile launchers that fire off a heavy salvo. Raven created a shield to protect herself and her charge, Phantom holding up his own green shield. They are lost beneath the glare of the explosion, but Cyborg ran through them, catching up to Robin, and linked his hands. Robin jumped up onto the palms and gets a hefty upward boost; now a bust flies in and Cyborg wheeled to face it. A single punch crushed it to gravel.

Robin began hopping from one airborne stone head to another, dodging the occasional laser blast along the way, and finally hurled himself through space. A bust flied in and starts to fire, but is blown apart by an ectoblast from below. The shooter raised from the ground and flew past the cloud of dust he has just created.

"Oy, no roughhousing! Do I have to separate you lot?" He pressed the ruby on his cane and caused the floor tiles to rise up as square columns. Starfire is on a collision course with Mad Mod and ready to shoot him full of holes-but a column rised in front of him without warning.

"Eek" She stopped just barely short of the obstacle and tried to swerve around it, only to have that path cut off as well. The tile that was under her feet has reached her level and begun to carry her up; she gasped in shock as she rised against her will. Higher and higher she goes, with a forest of columns forming around her.

Robin has resumed his game of leapfrog on the busts' heads, and they in turn have gone back to using him for target practice. He goes for one huge leap and gets clear of them, but his face soon registers surprise. "Huh?" He collided head-on with a column.

Cyborg is quickly hemmed in and carried toward the ceiling. "Yo!" When the motion stopped, a staggered pyramid of steps has formed.  Cyborg and Robin are on different levels of the structure, but Robin has no time to ponder the geometry; laser shots from above force him to start jumping from one level to the next. He worked his way up and seized a passing bust, which carried him, yelling all the way, toward a floating door. Working up a little momentum, he flipped clear just before the sculpture crashed into it and exploded. He threw a birdarang at Mad Mod, who leapt straight up to avoid it and passed him in midair.

A bust flew by and strafed, just missing Raven and Beast Boy, then doubled back for another pass as two others join it. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Three floor tiles, standing vertical, hurtle through the air and hit the attacking stoneworks edge on to slice them in half. The pieces tumbled down around Raven, followed by a yelling Cyborg, who has been blown off his high perch. "Little help here? I don't do funny."

Cyborg stood up. "You asked for it." Her hood is up, but Cyborg pulled it back before she knew what was going on. Next he licks his finger, depositing plenty of saliva on the tip, and shoves it into her ear-the classic "wet willie" torture. Her whole face looked as if it will split in half as her hair flies everywhere, but Beast Boy snaps out of his trance and laughs, Phantom cackling behind him.

"Awesome!" He then realized Mad Mod got him once more. "Aw, not again!"  
  
With an angry spark flaring on her temple, Raven put her hood back up. A loud thump is heard, the three turn toward it. The source-busts with metal spider legs, jumping down from their high levels. Beast Boy turns into a rhinoceros and charges, smashing a couple to bits, and Starfire shoots down a few flying ones, Phantom now out of his laughing fit helped her. Having flipped onto her back to pull this off, she does not see one moving in with two thin metal arms extended from its shoulders. They grab her wrists. "Huh?" She was hauled up with a scream and put into a half-spreadeagle; now a bust approached and extended a laser chainsaw from its base. A swing of her legs knocked it away to slice a long gash through the cloth of the giant hypno-screen that forms the wall.

Cyborg watched this one explode as it falls behind the columns he is standing on, but the moment is short-lived. More busts, these on tall pedestals and tank treads, are coming down the vertical surface and up from a trapdoor to form an advancing line. He leapt down, incapacitates one with a kick, and seizes it. With a heave that would make any mother proud, he sent it flying straight at the oncoming busts and destroyed every one of them. Behind him, one more popped out, stun gun extending from the mouth, and rolled toward his back. He turned around just in time to get a hair-raising jolt-or it would be, if he had any hair-that drops him in his tracks.

The place around them begins to rearrange itself; doors and paintings change locations, and the row of tiles he is lying on moves like a conveyor belt to carry him away.

Raven, who has been seized by a chair just like the one she was in at the start and is being dragged in. "No!" Her arms and legs are clamped down, and the white energy band fastened itself around her midsection. Cyborg was being hauled in by his own chair, and Beast Boy was still a rhino.

A hypno-screen pops up right in front of him; reverting to human form, he turns his head and squeezed his eyes shut as a long metal arm reaches up. "Don't look at the screen, don't look at the screen-" He was grabbed and turned towards it. "-don't look at the screen, don't look at the screen-" For the fourth time todday, he surrendered to the mind-numbing effects and starts burbling and drooling.

Robin, meanwhile, was making his way quickly up toward Mad Mod's platform. Once he reached it, he threw a kick that hit a big bunch of nothing as the villain easily sidestepped. Mad Mod planted his cane upright and balanced on its end.

"Oh, give it a rest, snotty. You've already lost!"  
  
Robin looked down, seeing Beast Boy sitting before his screen and the other three Titans secured in chairs, Phantom MIA, then rushed at Mad Mod and leapt. His hand, reached out toward the cane-but when his fingers reached the wooden shaft and close, they simply go right through it. 

"Huh?" He passesd through the cane and tumbled to the edge of the platform to look at his hand and figure out what has just happened. Mad Mod hopped to his feet and did a little brandishing and twirling. "The cane isn't real! Which means Mad Mod is just as fake as everything else in here!"

\--------------

Phantom growled narrowing his eyes as he tore through the wall, the old man at the computer seemingly having not seen him.

"Yeah, this should teach those saucy little ankle-biters some respect." He growled. The man wore the same rectangular sunglasses, but his clothing is the sort you might expect on an old man of retirement age-plain, nondescript shirt and suit.

"Just a tick. I've lost Robin." The man pushed some buttons, getting up. "My machines! That meddling little snot will pay for-"   
  
"Pay for what, Exactly?" Phantom growled, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking bored.

A small gasp of fear escapes him, as he realized Phantom had been there the whole time. And he knew the ghost was _very_ protective of Robin.

"Hello, guv'nor?" He tried, eyes going wide with fear as Phantom crept closer to him.

"Schools out, Mod. And you're looking at, mm, twenty years? Yeah sounds about right."  
  
Finding the others, Phantom dragged the man carelessly behind him, the man staying quiet with no complaints. (When he had one, Phantom had 'accidentally' dropped him when he was carrying him, and that's how he ended up being dragged.)

"Ha!" Cyborg shouted, opening an overhead hatch. "Oh, yeah, this is definitely the real deal."

"School always seems smaller after you graduate, doesn't it?" Robin asked, stretching.

Phantom eyed Robin. "Dunno, never graduated.

"Just don't expect me to go to any reunions." Raven grumbled in her usual monotone.

Starfire flew out next, Beast Boy asleep in her arms as she set him down. "I cannot awaken Beast Boy. I have tried the tickling, all manner of bodily noises, and the word "underpants." I fear that this time his brain is gone forever."

"Beast Boy had a brain?" Raven asked, getting a cackle out of Phantom.

Beast Boy laughed. "Good one!" Her meaning sinks in, wiping the smile off his face in a hurry, as the others trudged off, Phantom dragging Mad Mod behind him. "Dude! That's not funny! I totally have a brain! I just don't use it much..."

\-------------

At the tower, Robin knocked on Danny's door. The Ghost had escaped the main room as soon as Robin had dismissed everyone after a team debrief, and Robin was determined to talk to Danny. "Are we going to talk about what happened back there?" He asked through the door, huffing.  
  
"Don't wanna," Was the answer from the other side. Sighing, Robin picked up a lock, and picked open the door. Phantom, now in his human form, growled. "Is there no privacy, here?" He snapped, sitting up from where he laid on his bed.

"We need to talk."  
  
"It was a simple hug."

"That lingered too long." Robin pointed out, not failing to notice the faint blush on the teens cheek's.

"You were the one who hugged me, so I don't seem to be the problem here," Danny shot back, arms wrapping securely around his body.

Robin shrugged, walked to the other side of the bed, and laid down.  
  
"What are you doing?" Danny asked, eyebrow raised.

"Going to bed, unless you want to tell me what's going on?"  
  
The teen only grumbled, laid down, and turned over. _He was so not having this conversation._

Robin frowned, glancing at the teen. _Had he done the right thing?_

Looking over once more, Robin is sure he had done the right thing.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Danny blinked, opening his eyes. Waking up next to Robin was apparently starting to become a habit, and a bad one. "Rob?"

"Hmm?" The teen muttered sleepily.

Danny chuckled. Apparently, the teen was still asleep this time. "It's time to get up," Danny murmured, poking the teen's side.

The Boy Wonder only huffed, and snuggled more into the covers.  
  
_So, he's not a morning person_. Danny mused, chuckling. "I'm going to go get something to eat." Getting up, Danny changed into his Phantom form, as Robin sat up, rubbing his eyes. Wait.. his eyes. "Robin.. where's your mask?" The teenager paused, glancing down at the bedtable next to him where his mask lay, as he pointed at it, avoiding Phantom's eyes.  
  
The teen fumbled with his hands. "I normally take it off before I go to bed, and I guess I wasn't thinking.. You won't.. you won't tell the team, will you?" He asked quietly, bang's covering his eyes. He knew why it wasn't on. Last night he awoke with a bad nightmare, and had thrown off his mask in the process, and an hour later fell back asleep. Not that he would tell Danny that.  
  
"I won't. Anything said in this room stays in this room. Think of it like your study. You're welcome in here anytime." Danny smirked, before phasing out of the door, leaving the teen to snuggle into the blankets, and fall asleep once again.

\-------------------------

Robin shot up from Danny's covers as the door opened, prepared to bolt or explain himself to his teammates, thankful it was only Danny himself. 

"Robin, it's him. It's Slade."  
  
Getting up, Robin followed the teen out into the main room where Slade stood on a video screen. "Good morning, Teen Titans. I do hope I didn't wake you. You seemed.. comfy." The last part was clearly directed to Phantom and Robin.

"What are you, an insomniac? Who calls at five in the morning-" Raven elbowed him in the side to cut him off.

"What do you want?" Robin snapped.

"Well, that's precisely what you've been trying to find out, isn't it? And in spite of all your efforts, you're still in the dark about my intentions. Disappointing, Robin. I expected a little more from you."

"Like we care what you-"  
  
Slade cut Robin off. "But since you've been unable to discover my plan, I suppose I'll just have to reveal it myself."

"I'm sure you're all familiar with the concept of a chronoton detonator." Two of his commando robots are standing next to a large object covered with a tarp, as they peeled it off, underneath is a large, egg-like piece of machinery with a couple of red lights set into its surface. The upper portion telescopes toward the ceiling, giving a view of the circuitry inside and more sets of lights.  
  
Cyborg's eye widened. "No!"  
  
"Uh-oh." Raven mumbled as Star gasped.

"No way!" Beast Boy shouted, as he turned to Phantom. "Um, what's a crouton detonator?"

"It eradicates all chronotons within a localized area, destroying the temporal component of the space-time continuum." Phantom stated, remembering the lesson from Clockwork.

Beast Boy's ever so brilliant answer was, "Hmm?" as he turned to Raven.

"It stops time. Permanently." She responded. Beast Boy's response was to faint.

"If he triggers that thing downtown, it'll freeze-frame the entire city." Cyborg added, looking at his computer on his wrist.

Robin faced the screen. "Tell me where!"

"You're a clever boy, Robin.  I'm sure you and your little Phantom can figure it out." He held up a transmitter. "However, since I control the detonation, time is not on your side."

The screen filled with static, and Robin slammed a fist down on the computer keyboard with a frustrated grunt. "Fan out! Find it! Shut it down!" He stomped towards the door, only to be blocked by Phantom and Cyborg.  
  
Beast Boy chuckled, tugging on his collar. "Hey, uh, maybe you should stay here and coordinate the search." He advised, as Phantom rubbed the back of his neck at the betrayed stare.

"What?"  
  
Cyborg sighed. "Man, when it comes to Slade, you've got issues." Cyborg pointed his finger at Robin's temple and twirled it in the classic "this guy has a screw loose" gesture. "Might be better for the team if you sit this one out."  
  
"No." He stepped around the three. "There's too much at stake for me to-"  
  
"Robin," Phantom's hand lightly grabbed his arm. "Don't think we haven't forgotten-"

"I made a mistake, Phantom. It won't happen again. He shrugged off his hand. "I can handle it. I promise." Sidestepping them, he walked towards the door.

"Would you at least like to know where to look?" Everyone turned to look at Raven who was at the keyboard, a part of Slade's message frozen. "Slade gave us more information than he realized." The image filled the screen. Zooming in on a patch of it as a set of gridlines is superimposed; a small blurry image on the metal surface stood out. "Here, in this reflection."  
  
"Ooh, squiggly lines. Way informative." Beast Boy said sarcastically as Raven glared at him.

As more keystrokes are heard, it refined and can be clearly seen as backward text: "PIER 41."  
  
"Pier Forty-One!" Star said in excitement.

"The docks!" Robin announced.

Raven glared at her detractor, who grinned and chuckled nervously at having been shown up.

\-----------------------

Now at one of the warehouses by the waterfront, It is now close to sunrise, as Robin ran to the doors, followed by Beast Boy-as a cheetah, returning to human form-and then the rest of the group. Cyborg whipped out his sonic cannon and lets it speak roar. The doors were blasted away, as Robin dashed in with his fighting staff in hand. He extended it as the others follow him, ready to slug it out. 

"Empty?" Star asked, flying above them.

"Oh, man!" Cyborg groaned.

"I don't believe this!" Robin growled out.

To add injury to insult, the robotic strongmen show up out of nowhere, standing on the overhead beams as well as all over the floor. A few even move to block the exit.

"Great. Now what do we do?" Beast Boy asked.

"We fight." They are quick into action, besides Phantom who seemed content to just float there and watch as Robin moved so fast that he almost seemed to be everywhere at once, knocking out one robot after another before they have time to react. A couple back up before Cyborg's headlong dash; he gets ready to deliver a real haymaker, but Robin moves in first and dispatched them.  
  
"Hey! I was gonna do that!" Cyborg shouted in dismay.

Elsewhere, Starfire skid backward a bit and is quickly surrounded by the metallic musclemen. She warmed up her starbolts and rised into the air to do a spinning strafe, but again Robin zipped in and wiped out the lot. She stared incredulously after him once he has gone.

Now Beast Boy is hemmed in and gave a surprised little yelp; the enemies dog-pile on him, whereupon he turned into a bull and bucks them away. As more close in, he snorted in preparation to charge-but once again, the Boy Wonder leapt into the fray and put them all down for the count.

"Azarath Metrion Zin-" Raven had no chance to finish the spell; the overactive Titan is there in a flash to beat the stuffing out of the commandos menacing her. She just looked around, deadpanned, but slightly bewildered, and saw him leap across the warehouse to engage another group.

The other Titans minus Phantom, were up against the wall, watching in sheer confusion while the shadows of the battle play back and forth across them. A piece of a head tumbled past, followed by a beaten attacker and Robin himself. The teens wince as the pounding gets louder. Robin jumped onto a fallen robot whose head was partially smashed away. He started bashing the remains of the metal skull with his staff.

Cyborg winced. "Uh, Robin? I think you got him."  
  
Phantom carefully walked up to the teen, placing his cold gloves on Robin's warm ones. "We're finished," He ordered, as Robin stood, retracting his staff.

"Yes, we are victorious," Star agreed.

"Slade's got his finger on the button, and we've got nothing! Does that sound like a victory to you?" He snapped.

He stalked away, leaving the others staring after him and trying to figure out what could have turned him into a one-man wrecking crew. Outside the warehouse, the teens were trying to come up with a plan. "Okay. We know the chronoton detonator was here. Now we just have to figure out where it went." Cyborg muttered.

"No problem. We should split up and-" Beast Boy was cut off by Raven.

"-waste hours searching only to come up empty-handed?"

"Well, when you say it like that-" The poor changeling was then cut off by Starfire who had landed next to them.

"Raven is right. We must find some way to track the device."

Robin and Phantom approached them, then the duo cocked an eyebrow quizzically at the sound of echoing footsteps.

At a distance, a man is walking between two of the warehouses; a large shadow is cat on the wall behind him. "Freeze!" Robin was off like a rocket; the spooked fellow raced along the way, but a birdarang embeds itself into the concrete, bringing him up short. Robin followed it down, threw him against the wall, and held up a small crest with Slade's S insignia on it-taken from one of the robots. "Tell me everything you know about this!" The frightened chap can only stutter and mumble inarticulately. "Answer me! Now!" He shoved the man to the wall harder.

"I've never seen it before! I don't know anything! Honest!" Raven's powers spread over Robin's torso. The Titan is then slung across to the wall of the opposite warehouse and pinned to it as she maintained her hold, the other four approaching, Phantom's arms crossed.

"You said you could handle it." He growled out, as Raven released him.

"You promised." Starfire added, clearly hurt.

"We're wasting time." Robin strode off angrily.

"You know, just 'cause we're trying to catch Slade doesn't mean you have to act like him!" Beast Boy called after him.  
  
Robin whirled around. "Don't you ever compare me to him!" He walked back. "He's trying to destroy the city. I'm trying to save it!"

Suddenly, Starfire lets off a violent sneeze, accompanied by a starbolt that shoots from her nose. When the glare clearsed out, all five of the others are stunned and smoking from the blast, Phantom intangible.

"Gesundheit." Raven muttered.  
  
"Forgive me. I am allergic to metallic chromium. There must be a source near-" As she got ready to sneeze, everyone bolted, Phantom grabbing Robin and turning intangible, Raven hopping through a portal, Beast boy ran for cover behind a trash can, and Cyborg running off to avoid the blast. She sneezed with yet another nasal starbolt. The smoke cleared to expose her, standing alone. She sniffled, wiped her nose, and groaned. "Sorry." The other four return-Beast Boy from behind a trash can, Robin and Phantom turning solid once more, as Phantom set Robin on the wall, Raven passed through the wall from one of her portals. 

Cyborg only simply walked up looking at his arm. "Interesting."  
  
Starfire wiped her nose. "Not really. On my world, chromium allergies are quite common."  
  
"No. The key component of a chronoton detonator is a metallic chromium core, which means- " Cyborg closed the panel.  
  
"-Starfire can track it!" Beast Boy said in excitement.

\---------------------

In the sewers, star sneezed. "I believe it is this way."

The others had thrown up their arms to protect themselves from the blast. After a moment, they move out with Robin and Phantom bringing up the rear. "Look, guys, uh-about earlier." Robin rubbed the back of his neck as the others stopped.

"It'll have to wait." She pointed ahead, a small speedboat in the tunnel, with the detonator-back in its original compact form--loaded in the back. A commando guarding the rig caught sight of the group.

"Titans! Go!" Robin yelled as Beast Boy becomes a hawk and they charged. The robot moved to the instrument panel and hit the throttle, speeding off down the tunnel. "Quick! We can't let him get away!" Robin yelled, as a section of the wall smashes out next to him and Phantom, a large stone hand reached through and dragged them away.

"Robin!" Starfire called out.  
  
"Phantom!" Beast Boy barely reached the white glove, as his hand barely passed by it.

"Get the detonator! Go!" Robin yelled as Phantom distracted the beast with ectoblasts, throwing them wildly.

Star hovers there for a moment, reluctant to leave her crush, before Cyborg yelled after her. "Star! You heard the man!" Reluctantly, she flew after him.

Robin leapt from one support column to another and stayed just ahead of Cinderblock, who destroyed each one with a single blow, Phantom flew in for a kick, only to get swatted away like a fly. "Only fair to warn you-you caught me on a bad day!" Robin growled, fists clenched as Phantom landed on the ground with a soft thump.

The stone behemoth growled and charged. Robin moved in as well; the Titan vaulted high over Cinderblock and hurled a pair of bolas-weighted balls connected with a rope. They land on the head and tangle up around it, and Robin follows with a flying spin kick, Phantom just getting up. Robin landed in a crouch, then pushed off from the ground for a flying roundhouse kick that staggers the latter. Another kick, a crushing left hook, and Robin touched down in front of the dazed enemy and seized him. Cinderblock was thrown down onto his back, and Robin climbs atop his chest, Phantom hovering behind him, dazed. "Where is he? Where's-huh?" His attention was drawn to a beeping in Cinderblock's open palm. Robin climbed down and picked up the item. The screen showed a map of the area with two flashing dots.  One dot was an arrow, and the other-Slade's mark. A cold smile spread across his lips-now he knows exactly where to find his archenemy. "Phantom, think you can fly us there?" He asked, the dazed ghost nodding. "Let's go." Phantom took ahold of his waist, and flew in the direction of the flashing S.

\-------------------------

"Hurry, young Titans. Your time is running out." Slade mumbled to himself.

On a high catwalk behind him, a door is blown out yet he does not flinch. The smoke cleared to show Robin and Phantom standing proud.

"Actually we just went into overtime."

"Robin and young Phantom. Welcome. I've been expecting you for some time." The two teens dropped down to the platform. "I was beginning to wonder if Cinderblock was too much of a challenge." He turned around and held up the transmitter. "Looking for this?" He asked, waving it in front of the two teens. "Well..." He set it down in a small area lit up. "...here it is. If you two want it, come and take it." Robin's teeth bared in a silent snarl, as he charged straight at Slade and went into a mighty somersaulting leap. As he sailed closer, he pulled his right fist back and lets out one cry of pure rage, Phantom coming in from behind in a backhand kick. Slade easily moved aside, the two slamming into each other, tumbling to the ground. Grunting in frustration, the two charged.

Slade rushed the two, pushing on a pressure point that made Phantom paralyzed, and transformed into his human half.

Slade then leapt, and did a midair backflip leading into a roundhouse kick that had sent Robin kneeling. The melee moved across the floor, with each landing blow in turn, as Slade planted another steel boot across Robin's chest. Snarling in rage, the Titan gets his head clear, and the two spar until Slade caught Robin's fist. "Good technique and teamwork," He complemented. He bent the arm sharply at the elbow, the bones grinded against each other as Robin yells in pain. The hold turned into a throw that sent the hero skidding across the floor to slam into a wall near Phantom. As he got woozily to his feet, Slade's foot stepped into his line of sight. "Good. But not perfect." His head clear again, another yell of pure fury in his throat, Robin charged across the floor. He launched himself into the air, but one of those steel-gloved fists slam into his midsection. The teen hangs in the air for a moment, supported by the fist that has just stopped him cold, and then slowly collapsed to the ground. Robin tumbled across the floor and stayed down for a few seconds, pounding his fist against the tile with a loud groan. " I understand your frustration, Robin. You hate losing as much as I do. One of the many qualities we have in common." He nodded over at Phantom. "And a quality he shares with us as well."

Once again, his sore spot has been poked too hard, and he comes up into an uppercut that liftED Slade clear off his feet. Two more punches sent the armored criminal genius to the floor, yet he lands in a crouch and runs off. Giving him no quarter, Robin landed a string of savage blows to drop him flat on his back. The Boy Wonder easily proceeds to pick up the transmitter, Phantom still laying paralyzed on the floor, the effect having not wore off yet. "It's over, Slade!"

"On the contrary, Robin."  
  
The small device in Robin's hand sparked. "Huh?" Was the only word Robin could utter as the device broke apart in his hands.

"This is only the beginning." Slade smirked, showing the two teens a video of the four titan's in the water, not knowing what was in their systems as Slade pulled up.

"Nanoscopic probes.." Phantom muttered gaining some control back from his body.  
  
"Very good, Daniel. The chronoton detonator was merely the bait for a much larger trap." As he continued, a small push-button device extended itself from the inside of his wrist and settled in his hand. "You see, with the push of a button-" His thumb hovered over the device.

"-his probes will destroy them from the inside out." Danny finished, wobbling slightly to stand up, glaring.

"You can't control them. No matter what you threaten, they'll never obey you." Robin snapped, as Danny finally joined where Robin stood.  
  
Slade walked around the two teens. "This isn't about your friends, you two. It's about you. It's always been about you."

"What?" The two asked.

"Sending trouble your way. Leaving cryptic clues for you to unravel. Hinting to the Guys in White who you could be, leading you here despite the challenges you faced. I was testing you. For some time now, I have been searching for an apprentice. Someone to follow in my footsteps. And, Robin, I've chosen you. Phantom just happened to pop up on my radar along the way. Congratulations."

"No way would we ever work for-"

Slade held his the button, thumb barely touching it, and all objections from the two teens frooze. "If you join me, if you swear to serve me, if you never speak to your friends again, I will allow them to live. But... if you disobey even the smallest request, I will annihilate them. And I'll make you two watch. So, do we have a deal?" Tense silence was his answer, and the man smiled coldly under his mask, knowing he had won.  He tossed the two uniforms, and left them some privacy. 

"He's another fruitloop," Danny mumbled, slipping on his costume.

Robin didn't respond, but changed into his own.  
  
"Robin? Phantom?" Robin's communicator voiced to life, as the team's frantic voices echoed around the dark room. Walking over to the device, Phantom turned it off, setting it back down.

Phantom glanced over at Robin, who had slid on a black glove, a steel wrist guard snapped into place; his belt being buckled under a chest that is yellow on the left side and black on the right, a neck piece fastened under the teens chin. He took his hands away to reveal a silver S emblazoned over his heart. Phantom slowly moved up to the boys eyes, and winced. They seemed defeated.

Phantom himself dawned a similar outfit to Robin's, (it was creepy Slade knew his size), with different colors. The orange was switched and so was the black.

Slade stepped into the room. I know it seems bad now. But trust me, you'll learn to like it." Slade walked back into darkness, leaving the two boy's alone to their own thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you say anything, I know this was before the last chapter. I didn't have any ideas for these chapters until recently, and I think you guys might like this.


	8. Chapter 8

"And you, my dear Daniel, will be distracting your former friends." Slade's eyes narrowed. "Should you get off task, or perhaps chat with one of them, and if I even see a hint of white hair, my dear boy, they will be the ones to pay."  
  
Danny gulped. "...Yes, sir." He mumbled through clenched teeth.

\------------------

"Kid, I don't wanna hurt you!"

The Titan's desperately tried to catch the teenager, yet the teen had slipped out of their grasp more than once.  
  
Beast Boy growled as the Titans lined up. "He's distracting us."  
  
Raven snorted. "How could you tell?"  
  
Lunging at the teenage boy, Beast Boy tripped from a backhand kick, Cyborg's arm was disconnected, how the teen managed that he had no idea, then the teen managed to jump into the air as Raven and Starfire collided into each other, falling to the ground in a daze.

\-----------

Robin's POV:  
  
Robin free fell towards the floor from the roof of the Wayne tech building. Inside the darkened laboratory, a panel fell from the ceiling, and Robin dropped in after it. He hurled a small sphere with two short arms sticking out from opposite sites, across the room. One by one, lights wink on around Slade's center logo to form a ring. Once they are all illuminated, the thing explodes in a brilliant flash. Once it clears, we Robin held the item that was in the vessel in his hands.

"He's stolen the thermal blaster!"  
  
"Stop him!"  
  
The guards had opened fire, as Robin fled. He summersaulted, escaping the gurds.  
  
"Where'd he go?"

\--------------

Danny groaned from a stray blast that had hit him, rubbing his head. Standing, he jumped up only to collide into Robin, as the two landed in a pile, Cyborg pointing his cannon at the duo on the floor. "Freeze!"  
  
Quickly getting themselves up, they ran off along a walkway, the titan's giving chase. The duo found themselves nearing the end of the line, with nothing between the two and a very long drop to the street. They skid to a stop, and turned to face the others. The light from the street lamp illuminated their faces, allowing the titan's to see their faces.

"That's not Slade, that's.." Beast Boy paused from his shock.  
  
"Robin." Starfire stated.  
  
"And the kid from the street." Raven pointed out with a glare.

"Whoa.." eye widened.  
  
"No way!" Beast Boy's jaw dropped.  
  
"Robin, why are you-" Daniel cut her off with the throw of a Slade Styled flyer that exploded right in her face, driving her back to the walkway, towards the other Titan's.

"Yo!" Cyborg growled.

"What is your deal?" Beast Boy hissed.

"Not a word, Robin, Daniel. They're not your friends anymore."

The four close in; as Robin raised the blaster he just stole and fired at the stretch of walkway between him and them. The explosion brought them up short and forced a startled yell from Beast Boy. "What are you doing?" Cyborg yelled at the two teens.

"Don't you care about where Phantom went? I know the way you feel, Robin! I'm an empath for a reason!" Raven yelled in fury, as their shadowy figures disappeared in the smoke.  
  
\----------------

Danny and Robin stood side by side, Robin stepping out to hold a blaster out to Slade. "Excellent, students. I'm pleased. You're already proving to be the perfect apprentices."

"This deal can't last forever," Robin hissed out.

"It can. And it will." A row of monitors came to life, all showing blank white screens. They turned to face them; one showing static, the other an image of the decoy detonator. "The Titans still have no idea that my chronoton detonator was more than a decoy. Now that my probes are inside their bodies, they could remain undetected for years-decades. Unless, of course, you two disobey me and I decide to destroy your former friends with a push of the button." Slade held up a hand, the button nestled into it.

"Sooner or later, you'll let your guard down. I will get that controller, and the instant they're out of danger, you will pay." Robin growled, as Danny around him.

"That sounds like a threat, young man." He took the blaster from Robin, as Danny crept behind him, waiting for his leader's signal. "Quite a good threat, actually. Betrayal, destruction, revenge. We really do think alike."

With an angry snarl, Robin threw himself at Slade, as Danny stood there baffled as to what just happened. That so wasn't the signal. Danny winced when the sound of bones popped.

"I monitored both of your vital signs during the mission. Elevated heart rate, adrenaline, endorphins. You won't admit it, but at some level, you enjoyed stealing for me. It was a thrill, wasn't it?" He turned to Danny. "Danny boy here seems to have enjoyed it a little too much, almost as if he's done it before."

Danny clenched his fists, yet kept still, waiting for Robin's signal.

"You're going to keep stealing." Slade hissed, removing the blaster muzzle. "And you're both going to keep getting that thrill. And sooner or later, you will see things my way. Who knows? I might even become like a father to you." Slade clamped the blaster onto it.

"I already have a father." Robin said softly, as bats flew around the lair.

Once Slade was gone, Danny rushed over to the bird, settling his hands onto his shoulders. "Why didn't you give the signal?"  
  
"Didn't need you getting hurt either, not if I could help it." Robin mumbled.

"I'll follow by your side no matter what, Robin." Danny promised, as Robin smiled in appreciation.

\----------------

Danny watched from the dark as Robin reached for the blaster, only to pause as a familiar voice rang throughout the complex. "You're not walking out of here, Robin." Cyborg growled, as the others floated or stood behind him. "Not without a fight." Danny winced. He was afraid it would come to that. "Titans! Go!" Cyborg yelled as Robin charged, Danny appearing from behind him startling the four titans.

They bolted across the floor, Beast Boy becoming a tiger as he moves. The six teens hurtled themselves toward one another. Robin dodged both Cyborg's punch and Beast Boy's lunge; the latter returns to human form as the new felon vaults overhead. He sailed neatly between Starfire and Raven, teared away a ceiling panel, and is away through it before either can react, Danny not far behind him.

"Not so fast. You have yet to achieve your objective." Slade's voice rang through their comm's.

"The device was too heavily guarded. We'll have to steal it another-" Danny winced at Slade's yell to his excuse.

"No! Go back. Unless you want me to destroy them, go back and fight."  
  
"Robin! Kid!" Cyborg yelled from behind the two teens on the other side of the roof.

"Look, I don't know what's going on, but we don't want to fight. We just want to talk."  
  
Danny only had to wait for Robin's orders for five seconds as he went in for a high flying kick that drove Cyborg back past the other teens, and that was that.  

"Guess there's nothing to talk about." Beast Boy cracked his knuckles and turned into an enormous gorilla, bringing both fists down on the rooftop. Danny leapt back to evade the hit and a couple of grabs before perching at the center of the A in WAYNE. A huge green hand shoots up after him; as Robin dodged another blast from Cyborg and Raven.

He leapt to the A's peak, then down again as Beast Boy climbed up after him. In midair, he pulled out another of Slade's flying weapons, the curved blades extending from the central orb. Danny dropped down and threaded the line through the A's center. It was pulled taut, yanking Beast Boy halfway through to make him stick fast.

Meanwhile, Robin had run into Starfire. "Please-" She was cut off as he rushed past her, leaping very high, and came down with a kick and a flurry of other strikes aimed at Raven. Raven shielded herself from the offensive.

Cyborg's sonic cannon and tilt up to his face behind it. Even though the weapon is fully charged up, his face betrays his extreme uneasiness and reluctance at the prospect of using it in this situation. His perspective of the two duelists; a low groan is heard as he steadied his aim. "Don't make me..." Cyborg disarmed, running into the fray, as the other teen dived down from the letter A, landing on top of him. The punch Cyborg throws misses Danny, but connects against Raven's shield, as the mysterious teen planned. 

High above the roof, Beast Boy was still struggling to extricate himself from the sign's A. He finally succeeded by changing into a snake and slithering down. Once he was back on the roof, he assumed the form of a bighorn sheep and charged. The curved horns slammed into Danny's back and sent him rolling off Cyborg, stopping short of the edge, as Robin paused in surprise running over to the teen.

"Dude! Are you okay?" Resuming human form, Beast Boy ran over to the two, only for Robin to turn and kick Beast Boy away, almost in a protecting way.

"Fight to win, Robin. Danny is down, you have to protect him. Use the thermal blaster."

"Azarath, Mentrion, Zenthos!" Raven's chant picked him up and away from Danny, lifting him into the air. Thinking quickly, he grabbed a flash bomb, throwing it near her. Blinding her, Raven fell.

"Come on, man! Don't make me do this!" Cyborg murmured, as he threw punch after punch at the teen, who blocked it easily. "I don't wanna do this!" he turned his arm into a sonic cannon, only for Robin to trip him and hit the ground instead.

Robin black flipped, landing on the A. Running across the letters, he froze in his tracks as Starfire flew up, holding the familiar green blast in her hands. "Stop! Do. Not. Move."

"I thought I told you to Use. That. Blaster. Attack! Now!"

Robin hesitantly aimed the thermal blaster at Starfire.  
  
"Robin. You are my best friend. I cannot be in a world where we must fight. If you are truly evil, than go ahead." The green energy faded from her hands. "Do what you must."

Robin powered down the blaster. "Starfire no-" A loud piercing noise came through the comm, surprising Danny, as he sat up straight, holding his sensitive ear.

"Robin! I gave you an order. If you won't attack, my probes will."

The four teens suddenly bent over in pain, as Star was caught by Slade, and Danny ran to comfort Beast Boy. "Stop!" Danny yelled. "Please, stop!"  
  
"Attack Robin. It's the only way to save them. Attack with everything you've got."  
  
Danny lightly set down Beast Boy as Robin fired the thermal blaster. "That's my boys."

Beast Boy got up from the ground. "Okay. Weirdness. What just-"

Before he can finish the sentence, Danny and Robin plunged toward them with a yell and a fresh blast ready to go. It traced a short distance between the foursome. They landed in the middle and Danny slung Beast Boy into Raven's face.

A low kick from Robin knocks Cyborg away, and Starfire finds herself trying to hit two moving midair targets with her starbolts.

Robin somersaults across the roof and trained his blaster on her.

She gasped, realizing that he has her bracketed-but he shifts his aim and fires past her, hitting the Y. The next beams come at Beast Boy and Raven; he becomes a monkey and scampers away, while Raven put up a shield in front of herself.

Now the little green primate darted in and climbed all over the armored arms and legs It takes a moment for Danny to get hold and throw him aside.

As he does so, though, Raven exerts her powers over Robin's arm with the blaster and causes the thing to dismantle itself. What she gets for her trouble is a shove from the black haired teenager that sends her careening across the roof.

Next up is Cyborg, who comes up from behind and tries to grab Robin. Robin ducked away; the other Titans regrouping to face him, Danny stepping besides him. Beast Boy became a bear, Cyborg had his cannon locked and loaded, and the girls have their respective powers warmed up.

The duo look over their shoulders and find that he is at the roof's edge. They whip out a handful of discs and threw them at the group.

"Titans! Move!" Was the last thing they had heard before disappearing.

\---------------------

 Slade rewound the video feed from Wayne enterprises, clearly impressed. "Thrilling. My apprentice's are progressing even faster than I had hoped. All they needed was a little motivation."  
  
Robin grabbed Slades wrist. "Motivate THIS!" He threw a punch, but Slade caught it easily without flinching and wrenched the arm to one side. Robin was flung toward a set of overhead gears, but he came down in a crouch across the floor. He stood up; Danny stood by his side. 

Slade left his chair and flexed a handful of fingers. "Robin. That was vicious, dishonorable, and ruthless. Excellent work. You're becoming more like me every second." 

He turned away, then whirled to face his apprentice's with a sudden string of blows; Robin and Danny dodge and tries a few counterattacks, but Slade gets them in a headlock and lifted them off the floor.

Robin swung his leg straight ahead and up to kick him in the face, forcing him to break the hold on the duo.

Danny struck first, propelling himself in a high backward jump that carried him toward the metal face-but Slade grabbed his legs, swinging him low to scrape the floor, and ended by hurling him towards the overhead machinery. The screaming Phantom hooked a crankshaft to stop himself from flying into the gears.

Robin advances and peers warily from one spot to another hidden in the gears. He made his way to a bank of levers near the edge of this elevated platform and stopped for a good look around. Steam boils up as a stationary gear began to turn.

"Good, Daniel. Robin. You're both doing much better than last time. A few more years of training, and you both might actually pose a threat."

Danny had started to back up by this point; he reached the levers and broke one loose to use as a club. He twirled it back and forth and got ready to swing, but Slade merely pulls out a fighting staff just like the one Robin used to use and extends it to full length. More steam roils around the two enemies before Robin charged in from behind Danny.

Slade parried his attacks, and the two lean in at each other with their full weight. Slowly but surely, Slade overpowers Robin and forces him back, then catches him with a high swing to drive him back against a pipe.

Robin leapt away, just barely missing Slade's jabbing strike that punctures the pipe to release a flood of steam that enveloped the three of them. The staff was lodged in the metal, and Robin jumped onto it for a blind swing of his makeshift club. The sound of metal crashing against metal tells that the strike hit its target-but after a moment, Slade stands up. "Huh?"

The villain delivered a karate chop that broke the end off his own staff. Robin jumped away and high overhead, landing on a bend in the damaged pipe. A camshaft swings back and forth in front of him like a pendulum; he took a few cautious steps backward, and Slade appeared suddenly before him once the next swing has gone through,

Robin's eyes widened in disbelief as Slade disappeared. An instant later, Slade barreled across and hit him broadside. The young man fetches up on a stationary gear mounted horizontally and, dazed a bit, struggles to lift his head. He snapped back to full consciousness in a hurry once he saw Slade coming straight down toward him. One of those armored fists slams into the platform, just missing Robin thanks to his last-second dodge. Withdrawing his hand from the hole he has smashed in the deck plate, Slade stood up and cracked his knuckles.

Danny's eyes narrow in pure hatred, and he charged across from where he was hiding for a leap; instead of aiming directly at Slade, though, he went past one shoulder and brought his leg up for a crashing spin kick that staggered the man. A second blow knocked Slade over the edge. He tumbled down in front of the monitors, which once again show the four Titans' bloodstreams. The left side of his mask has cracked from the force of the kick.

Robin jumped down from behind Danny to face him. "You're going to wish you hadn't done that." Slade hissed over at Danny.

"I only wish we'd done it sooner." Robin answered in reply, as the two boys tore off the silver S from their chests. They then threw it down to stick in the platform surface just in front of the still-kneeling Slade, who voiced a low growl and let it build into a full roar as he charged. Now the two boys were forced to go on the defensive against a sequence of attacks. Robin goes into a handstand, attempting to kick Slade in the face, but the latter only caught the approaching foot to immobilize him. After an incurious look back and forth, Slade threw Robin across the way, as Danny went in for a punch. Slade easily tossed him aside, as he fell to the ground next to Robin.

"I have much to teach you both. But the first thing you need to learn is gratitude." Robin wiped his face, and Slade merely stood there and eyed the activity on the monitors. The rebellious apprentice's yelled in fury and moved in for another go, but Slade seizes their arms and bent it back cruelly past the shoulder before dumping them onto their backs.

"I made you my apprentice. All my knowledge, all my power, all for you." He roughly grabbed Robin's hair, ignoring Danny's growl. "But the only thing you two care about is your worthless little friends!" Slade let go of Robin's hair. "If the Titans are so distracting, maybe I should just get rid of them." As casually as if he were looking at a wristwatch, he brought up the button and got ready to set the probes off again.

Robin steeled himself for another charge, then loses his resolve, knowing what another act of defiance could bring down on his and Danny's friends. "Don't. We'll do whatever you say."  
  
"Good boy. And, from now on, I'd like you to both call me Master."

A starbolt flashed across and blasted him away to land right in front of the monitors. The other four Titans, now in the lair, gathered in front of his favorite chair. Starfire has a double-barreled blast all ready to go with his name on it. "Leave them alone!"   
  
"Robin! Daniel! Attack!" 

"Get out of here!" Danny yelled.

"Go! You don't know what those beams did to-"

Robin got cut off by Beast Boy. "Dudes.."  
  
"We know."  
  
Cyborg nodded after Raven. "And we don't care."  
  
"We are your friends, Robin. We are not leaving without you."  
  
  
"Or Daniel," Beast Boy added, emitting a thankful smile from the teen. They tensed for battle as Slade steps up.

"How very touching." He put his finger on button. "But Robin and.. Phantom don't need any friends."  
  
He pressesd it, bringing the rapparatus to life. Red energy bolts blaze out across the space.  Cyborg, who is first to be affected from  the probes, and he and Starfire both collapse in torment. Beast Boy's knees buckle, as Raven dropped down next to him.

"This is the price for your disobedience, Robin. Now do as I command. Attack!"

Robin's masked eyes then met Danny's, who nodded in agreement. "No." The duo dashed off, ignoring Slade's calls.

A few more steps and a great leap carry the roaring apprentice's over the last few yards, and they plant their hands on the rig. Now bathed in its glow, they brought their other palm around to touch it as well.

The groans that escape through the duo's tight-locked teeth betray the unendurable physical strain they had put on themselves. They are  thrown backward as the entire rig exploded; the glare dying away.

Slade, watching the four Titans' bloodstreams with great surprise-and, as he does, a fifth and sixth screen pop up with the duo's name on it. Groaning with the strain, this new victims haul themselves to their feet with the help of the other. Slade regards his control button with some trepidation now, and the orange-glowing boots advance towards Slade, step by labored step. "New deal, Slade. If we lose our friends, you lose your apprentice's." Robin growled out.

Danny nodded in agreement. "And we know how you hate to lose."

The duo collapsed. Slade gave this proposition a long moment's thought, his thumb ready to bring Robin's existence to a grinding halt-and then tears the controller off his wrist and tossed it away. A few sparks flash up from it, after which the probes cease their destructive work on the Boy Wonder and mysterious Phantom. Not about to let the matter drop so easily, Slade raised one foot to stomp the spiky-haired head flat; before he can bring it down, though, Robin is up and grabbing at it. He smirked at Slade, whose eye goes very wide, and a smashing punch from the duo sent the evil genius flying to the other end of the platform. "Titans! Go!" Robin shouted.

The others, also back in good health, charge at Slade. Beast Boy, now a tiger, is first to do damage with a clawed swipe that pierced the armor.

Cyborg and Starfire move in next, starbolts and cannon going in full throttle to blast Slade backward.

As he tumbled, Raven cast a spell to bind his feet and sling him hard onto the platform.

Only now does the duo go on the attack, delivering a flying kick that pasted a boot sole across that masked face. Glowing cracks spread across the back of his head as the steel mask fractures.

The duo landed in a crouch as Slade fell to his knees, the left side of his facevisible. The right half of his mask dropped away and skidded across the floor, as he now stood up with one big hand covering the exposed portion of his visage. He turned and ran off, dropping his hand as he does so.

"Another day, Robin. Phantom. Another day."

All six Titans stood dumbfounded near the monitors, which have all gone blank; Beast Boy returned to human form. The light goes red and begins to fade in and out, blacking out the screen every time it goes. Robin ran forward as Danny transformed, Gears starting to fall off their axles, first one and then many more after it. The biggest tumbled toward Robin. He ran at top speed to stay ahead as it rolled along and teared up the platform; finally Phantom flew past and carried him off. Cyborg strains at the core of the probe system and tears it loose. Raven flew up, towing Beast Boy, as Cyborg makes a mad dash along the crumbling deck plates and is thrown into the air when one flipped. Robin tugged on Phantom's arm. "Let's go home."

\---------------------

Danny peeked his head out of his room and chuckled at Beast Boy's muffled yet annoyed voice rose out. "Am I done yet?"  
  
Cyborg grinned looking at Beast Boy's blood stream, not a probe in sight. "That's it, y'all. The Teen Titans are officially probe-free."

Beast Boy laughed and jumped out of his chair with a laugh, and started to dance. "Go, Beast Boy! You're probe-less! No probes now! Go, Beast Boy! Go, Beast Boy! Get fun-kay! Uh! Yeah! Uh, uh, that's right." Danny had to laugh as the green teenager moon walked.

"Um...I know this isn't my style, but we just kicked Slade's butt. Shouldn't we celebrate or something?" Danny's eyes widened in surprise. Raven? Want's to celebrate?  
  
Robin and Cyborg stare incredulously in at her, but Beast Boy jumped onto Cyborg's shoulders. "Yeah!" The teen glanced down at Cyborg.  
  
Cyborg grinned. "All you can eat.."  
  
"Free form..."  
  
"Breakfast explosion!" The duo shouted, as Danny chuckled from his hiding spot. He wanted to delay this conversation as long as possible.

\--------------

"Sorry I asked." Raven mumbled, glancing over at Danny who was peeking out of his room. Turning her gaze to Robin, she nodded her head over to Danny's direction, getting a nod out of Robin. She was then snapped out of her thoughts as the two laughing cooks ran past her and hauled her towards the kitchen, leaving Starfire and Robin alone on the couch.

Standing up, Robin made his way over to where Danny was hidden, leaving a heartbroken Starfire behind. "Everything okay?" He asked, entering the room.  
  
"I just.. the team hasn't even acknowledged me. They were definitely more worried about you, and.. I just don't fit in here. Look at me! I'm half-dead for Clockwork's sake! I don't belong here." The teen ranted, placing his head into his hands, sitting on his bed.  

"Danny, Cyborg is half metal, Raven's a demoness, Starfire's an alien, and Beast Boy's green. So who cares if your half dead? It just makes this team a lot cooler." Robin laid a hand on the teens shoulder, smiling in encouragement. "Besides, who would I be without my partner?"   
  
Danny grinned. "I guess I could stick around."   
  
"Good. Aren't you going to come celebrate?" Danny got up, about to transform. "Let them meet your human half, Danny."   
  
Danny sighed. Orders were orders. Nodding in agreement, he latched onto Robin's arm, as the leader quietly led him into the main room, where the girls greeted the duo, Raven having comforted Starfire.

"Who wants tofu waffles?" Beast Boy asked with a smirk.

"Man, nobody wants tofu waffles." Cyborg groaned.

"I do. Pass me the soy milk!" Beast Boy jumpped after Cyborg, and a scuffle breaks out as Robin and Phantom cross to Raven.

"I'm telling you, you're not getting anywhere near the soy milk."

"Man, pass me the soy milk!"  
  
"Is there any meat in the tofu?"  
  
"No, there's no meat in the tofu, it's tofu!"  
  
"Nobody wants it." 

Danny chuckled as the others sat on the couch. Yeah, he could stay a little longer. What's the harm in that?


	9. Chapter 9

Waking up next to Robin had become a habit to Danny, and he's not sure if it was a good habit, or a bad habit. The teen always had his mask off since the morning Danny found him, and Danny was thankful the teen trusted him enough to see his brilliant blue eyes. Robin had decided to use Danny as a pillow, his leader's head settled against his chest, legs tangled together, and his arms wrapped around Danny's waist in a tight grip, almost as if he were afraid if he let go Danny would leave him,

"As if," Danny muttered, shifting into a more comfortable position, wrapping his own arms around the teen.

"As if what?" Robin muttered sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, morning." Danny grinned, playing it off.

A knock on the door cut off Robin's response to the obvious lie. "Yo Danny, have you seen Robin?" Cyborg asked.

Danny was hesitant to respond, yet Robin did on his own. "Yeah, I'm in here. What seems to be the problem, Cy?" Robin called out untangling himself from Danny's grip, surprising the teen outside of the door.

 _Robin was in Danny's room?_ "Um, we've got a call for help," Cyborg responded hesitantly. "We'll meet you all there shortly." Cyborg nodded even if he couldn't see it, and walked off.

"Do we have to?" Danny whined, reaching for the teen once again. "I was comfy," he added, pouting.

Chuckling, Robin nodded. "Yeah, but the faster we get this over with, the faster we can get back to cuddling. And we have yet to talk about where we want this to le-"  
  
Danny jumped out of bed, rushing around the room to get ready, cutting the surprised teen off, as a sigh escaped his lips. "Let's go kick some evil butt!" He yelled, running out the door, a distressed Robin following behind.

\--------------

"Range to target!" Robin shouted over the wind on his R-Cycle.

"Five hundred and closing. Should have a visual any-"  
  
"There he is!" Phantom shouted, cutting off Cyborg, as Beast Boy flew next to him as a hawk.

"Correction. There it is." Raven pointed out.

The thief raised a weapon and lifted his human body clear off the ground. Robin gasped in surprise, and he and Cyborg peel out in opposite directions to avoid the blast, which ripped across the pavement. Both drivers skid to a stop; the cross-breed spider howled in anger and leapt straight toward the sky. The hybrid easily jumps to the rooftops, where he touched down and bounds away. Robin watched him jump across the street with ease.

The Titans set off after him on wheels and in the air. Starfire and Phantom sent a few blasts toward him, but he easily dodged and continued his sideways run; a huge leap carried him to the buildings on the other side of the street.

Robin, gunning his engine and extending a blaster, popped off a string of shots that barely miss the semi-arachnid, who crossed the street again and kept right on going.

The T-Car pulls ahead of the R-Cycle and opens its sunroof, a missile pops out and was launched. It streaked through the evening sky and zeroes in on the thief, who jumps clear to avoid the impact and explosion. He does a 180-degree turn and spits a large wad of gray slime, Beast Boy and Starfire in hot pursuit. Beast Boy took the brunt of it and was engulfed in the goo, which splattered itself all over a wall at ground level. Back in human form, he pokes his head, one arm, and both legs out and struggles to get free of the viscous material super-strength spider silk that has not yet dried.

"Super-loogie?!" Beast Boy shouted in a disgusted groan, as Phantom attempted to get the teen out of the goo.

The shooter spews out another mouthful, forcing Starfire to get out of the way. Dodging one gobbet after another, she keeps the pressure on. He spit a stream of adhesive back and forth, layering it to create a thick sheet that stretcheed to block the entire way, Robin and Cyborg bearing down on this. Robin gasped, while Raven puts her powers to work and extended them over the entire block. Pavement cracks and a fire hydrant opens up, gushing water along the sidewalk; both vehicles sail up the incline created by the shifting roadbed and pass by neatly over the barrier.

The smash-and-grab artist scuttled flat out, his human body waving in the wind, and turns to spit more silk. Robin swerved expertly to avoid Beast Boy's fate, but a load hits the T-Car's windshield and completely blankets it. "I can't see!" He cut his steering wheel hard to one side and skid to a stop as the R-Cycle roared past.

Starfire starts to catch up again, but a well-placed burst sent her to the sidewalk and pins her. She tries vainly to free herself as Robin zoomed by, then cut through it with a handful of starbolts and returns to the chase. The thief raced down the street and around a corner; Robin and Starfire hot in pursuit. Up comes the creature, making straight for a car parked to face the highway and jumping onto its rear end.  The couple inside the car gasp as those four slender legs push off from the bodywork; leaping over the highway.

They are quickly interrupted again by the sound of the R-Cycle's engine. A shocked stare and second gasp are all they can manage before Robin sped in and onto the car's rear end, launching himself over the highway. As he sailed through space, he fired off a grappling hook and is yanked away on its line, letting the chopper drop.

The swinging trajectory carried him toward a wall, while the large R's on both sides of the plummeting R-Cycle extend outward from the body and each fire a beam from underneath. The vehicle descends smoothly to the curb and touched down with the help of these, and the emitters retracted.

The man-spider charges down the fade, followed closely by Robin, whose line trailed out ahead of him, and proceeded to climb the architecture on the other side. Robin's hook shoots after him, the line pulls taut, and he is yanked along. The chase moves up yet another building, but the runner stopped halfway up and spit a pair of short beams down at Robin to knock him loose. The Boy Wonder dropped towards the street, his skin turning gray and his limbs frozen in place. "Can't.. move!"  
  
Phantom having gotten Beast Boy unstuck panicked as Robin fell. "Robin!" He shouted, before diving down and grabbed the teens arm, just a few short feet of becoming street pizza. Phantom then lightly set him down where the others had started to gather.

"He is okay?" Starfire asked him gently.

"He will be. The venom's effect is only temporary." Cyborg stated, as everyone sighed in relief.

Danny chuckled as Robin groaned. "Getting away... we have to... go after him!" Groaning, he started to topple. "Whoa!" Before he could fall, Phantom stood him up straight, emitting a angry growl from Starfire.

"You mean, we have to go after him." Raven deadpanned.

Cyborg nodded. "You need to chill til that stuff wears off."

"But-" Robin started, only getting cut off by Beast Boy.

"Dude, we can handle it. The guy's got a spider for a head. Not like he's gonna be hard to find."  
  
Phantom grinned from behind him, and leaned into his ear. "Plus I can give you a massage that my mom had taught me to loosen the muscles." All that earned was a smirk.

\------------

Back at the tower, Robin and Danny stood alone. Robin was standing up, as Danny quickly worked his magic, Robin's muscles loosening, as the effect wore off.

"Better?" Danny mumbled.

Robin nodded. "Ah, much. Thanks."  
  
"Anytime," Danny murmured, grinning as a light blush dusted Robin's cheeks.

"Now we can focus on solving our other problem. Titans! Any luck on finding our jewel thief?"

"We found something worse." Raven answered.

After a while of waiting an answer, Cyborg popped up again. "Uh, we're gonna need backup."

"We're on our way." Robin announced, as they headed towards the door, only to halt by the sound of a voice.

"Don't bother. Even if you defeat a few of my children, you won't be able to stop me from releasing the entire swarm. Unless you want your city reduced to a moth-eaten wasteland, you'll do exactly as I say."  
  
"What do you want?" Robin grit out.

"My demands are simple. The city will declare me ruler, the Teen Titans will surrender, and Robin..." The villain hesitated as Phantom stepped up with a death glare. "...will...take this lovely young lady to her junior prom."

A separate window appeared. "Hi, Robbie-poo!" The blonde yelled, waving.

"Um...what was that last part again?" Phantom asked, ignoring Robin's twitches.  
  
"Her name is Kitten, and you will take her to prom!" The villain announced, as the girl puckered up, as Phantom growls.

"He does _not_ accept!" He growled, fists clenched, eyes an angry green, floating in the air facing the screen.

He is yanked unceremoniously downward with a short yell. Robin was leading him away by the foot, Phantom still in the air. "We're going to need a moment."

Robin rolled his eyes as a string of ghost cusses left Danny's lips, opening the communicator. "Cyborg, report. How bad is it?"  
  
"Bad! Can't hold em' off much longer! If you're gonna do something, do it quick!"  
  
"Of all the fruitloopy ideas to come out of a villains sick head this has got to be the most idiotic-"

"I have to do it."  
  
Phantom froze. "What? Sorry, didn't quite hear that," He growled, fists clenched.

"Danny, it's the only way to save the bridge. The only way to give us enough time to stop Killer Moth."  
  
"Doesn't mean I have to like it." Danny mumbled.

"I have too, Danny. No matter how much I don't want to. And I really don't want to."  
  
"Do we have a deal?" The mad man asked as Robin strolled up to the moniter, Phantom floating behind him.  
  
"I'll take the girl to prom."

"Don't tell me. Ask her."  
  
"You've gotta be-"  
  
"Do it!" The villain yelled, flinching back at Phantoms death glare.

 "Kitten, was it?" Robin asked through gritted teeth.

"Meow." The girl made a Kitten outfit pop up.

"Right. Will you... go with me to the prom?" Robin grit out.

Phantom, meanwhile, was debating on several different methods to.. eliminate the threat.

"Oh, Robbie-poo! I thought you'd never ask!"

\--------------------

"I bought you some time. Killer Moth. He's controlling the mutant insects. Find him, and stop him. Start your search with her." Robin pulled up an image of Kitten, showing the other Titans.

"Who is she?" Raven asked, looking up at the communicator curiously as Phantom mumbled incoherent things.

"Name's Kitten. She's got some kind of connection to Killer Moth. Find the connection, and I bet you'll find him. Phantom will join you to help with the search."

Phantom's only reply was a grunt of acknowledgement.

"Hey, what about you! Aren't you going to help us?" Beast Boy asked.

"I can't. I've got a date."  
  
Phantom could only imagine little question marks popping up over their heads.

\-----------------------

Robin's POV:

Sighing, he pulled on his tux. "Really hope she doesn't show." A tap on the shoulder made him scowl, as he turned though, his scowl disappeared with awe. Phantom was standing there with his arms crossed, a jacket hanging over the spandex, and the spandex had changed to resemble a tux. "Phantom?"  
  
"You- you forgot the dead plant.." Phantom mumbled, placing it lightly on Robin's tux.

"You're supposed to be helping the other's track down Killer Moth."  
  
Phantom grinned. "And you left me a loophole on purpose. Your orders were to investigate the girl. And I do intend on doing so. Besides, you might need to be saved, and who better save you than me?"  
  
Before Robin could respond, a car horn sounded, and a pink limo pulled up, and out stepped Kitten in a pink dress. "Yoo-hoo! Robbie-poo! Your Kitten has arrived! Me-ow!"

"Second thought, maybe I will need saving." He mumbled, walking towards the girl.

"Oh, Robin!" She draped herself onto him. "My date! Robin! Don't you look handsome!" She whispered, "Compliment me on my dress."  
  
"No."  
  
"Do it! Or else!"  
  
"Nice dress." Robin spat out bitterly.

"Oh, Robin! You're such a gentlemen! Unlike my worthless ex-boyfriend Fang!"

"Now take my arm, lead me in," He took her elbow hesitantly, not missing the hurt look on Phantom's face. _They definitely needed to talk about feelings.._ Robin mused. "Hello! Are you even listening to me?" The girl snapped.

"No." Robin replied bitterly.

"And would it kill you to smile?" She snapped.

"Yes." Robin grunted, leading her inside, sending Phantom an apologetic gaze.

\--------------

Fifteen minutes into the dance, and Robin was bored. _So, so, bored_. It didn't help that someone had picked the moping Phantom out of the crowed, and swept him onto the dance floor, Robin's heart burning with jealousy as the pretty female danced with the ghost.  
  
Kitten noticed his gaze, and glared. "Ask me to dance." She hissed.

"I don't dance." He snapped. _With you, anyway..._ His eyes flickered back to Phantom. This time, green eyes met his masked blue ones.

"Come on, Robbie-poo! You've never, ever danced before?"

"Tried it once. Didn't like it." He answered, ignoring her attempts to get him to get up, ignoring the ghost's smirk in his direction.

"Fine!" The girl yelled, exasperated. She pulled out her phone. "Then I can have the whole city destroyed... or.. we can just skip straight to the kissing." The girl grinned, puckering up.

"Wanna... dance?" He growled out.

"Oh, Robin, of course I'd love to dance with you!" She shouted, drawing others attention.

She swept him into the dance floor, not bothering to point out how uncomfortable Robin was. He internally cheered when the song ended. "Okay. That's over." He started to walk away, only to groan aloud when another started up, gaining sympathetic looks from the crowed.

"Ohhh, goody! Another slow dance!" She yelled, grabbing his hand and pulling him onto the dance floor. As they danced, Kitty grinned. "From now on, Robby-poo~, this'll always be our song!"

Robin shuddered, taking out the communicator behind Kitty's back, and whispered, "Please tell me you guys have found Killer Moth!"

"Not yet. But we tracked down your girlfriend's home address." Cyborg whispered back.

"She's not my-"  
  
"Ah! Whoa.." Beast Boy said.

"Well, that's not suspicious." Raven stated.

"Found him." The other three chorused in unison.

Robin blinked as they shut off the communicator, not missing Starfire's glare. "Kiss me." The girl, Kitty, snapped suddenly, probably giving the ghost a heart attack.

"Sorry. I don't like you that way. Matter of face, I just don't like you." Robin glared, arms crossed.  
  
"Yes!" Phantom shouted, then blushed a deep green realizing he's said this aloud.

"WHAT?!" Kitty screamed.

"Killer Moth's being taken down as we speak. We're done here." Robin walked towards Phantom, head held high, until Kitty's next statement froze him in his tracks.  
  
"No, we are not! Daddy's not calling the shots tonight, Robbie-poo. I am!"

"Daddy?" Robin asked, shocked.

"And unless you want me to let those nasty bugs out for a late-night snack.. you'd better pucker up!" She grabbed his jacket, leaning in for a kiss, as Robin shielded away.

Robin put a finger on her lips. "Not even if you paid me." One swift grab takes the controller from her hand into his. She gasped and tried to seize it, but he held it out of reach. In a twinkling, the two have begun a back-and-forth struggle, with Kitten concentrating on that particular set of five fingers and how to unhinge them. The two then started a mini game of tug-a-war, none getting the advantage. She ended up hanging backward over Robin's other arm, looking upside-down at everything, and her eyes widened for a moment.

Kitty gasped. "Fang!?"  
  
Robin's eyes widened. "That's your boyfriend!?" The robber they were chasing after earlier lumbered towards them, not looking too happy.  
  
"Get your hands off my girl." Robin, who drops Kitten like a ton of bricks in order to have both hands free, blocks a few swings of those huge legs, one knocking him aside.

Fang stepped over to Kitten and was about to help her up; before he can do so, an ectoblast knocks him away.

"Don't you ever touch him again!" Danny hissed, helping Robin help. "You all right?"  
  
"Best I've ever felt all day." While saying this, he tugged off the so called 'monkey suit' with one easy motion, revealing his superhero outfit underneath.

"Fangie-poo! You really do care!"

"Let's never fight again, baby." He held out several stolen bracelets on his spider legs that made her gasp in delight. She threw her arms around his neck

"Oh, Fang!" The duo kissed.   
  
"You know.. you two really make a bad couple." Robin quipped, standing next to Phantom, an arm wrapped around his shoulder protectively. Said couple glared at him for a moment, after which Fang let go of Kitten and charged. Fang spewed a torrent of spider silk across the dance floor. Robin nimbly dodged the glop, but Phantom is hit dead on and driven back into the sky. He stops near the rail, where the couple previously seen at the punch bowl walk into view; the young woman is laughing.

"Let's hit the dance floor." The male said.

They instead take a hit from Fang's venom and become living, gray-tinged statues. A second blast just misses Robin, and Fang set out after him. At the rail, the Boy Wonder stops to face him and has to block a flurry of spider-leg strikes. He managed to grab all four limbs at once, setting off a tug-of-war between the two combatants. It ended when Robin heaved with all his strength and sent Fang tumbling overboard.

The Titan, who looks past the rail expecting to see and hear the felon splash into Jump City Bay. Instead, his eyes widen. "Huh?!" With all four spider legs climbing up the side of the ship, Fang spit silk up at him and barely missed Deck level. The creature got over the rail, wrecking a table, and leapt high above the planks. On the way down, he whirled his legs like a high-speed flail and forced Robin to back up while blocking the hits. The human limbs are now brought into play instead; Fang and Robin dodge each other's blows, the former swinging his human body high overhead to gain momentum. More furniture goes flying all over the deck in the course of this punching match, and Fang finally connects with a spider kick that sent Robin spinning through the air.

He caught a string of lights and hung there for a moment. Fang hissed up at him, running to the cabin, and scuttled straight up its wall. A leap carried him up to the cables, and the hero and villain face off with four wires between them. Robin swung from one to the next, dodging gluey spurts along the way, and launched himself into an incredibly high leap. With one leg extended for a kick, he descended straight toward Fang. There is a flash when he connected the hit, and Fang dropped down on one of the surviving tables.

"Oooooh! Isn't it romantic? They're fighting over me!" Kitten shouted, drawing Danny's attention as he stood up.  
  
"They're so not fighting over you!" Kitten yelled and jumped at him, and the two roll across the refreshment table. Phantom pinned her shoulders and reached to snag the button, but Kitten grabbed a handful of food and threw it in his face. In a blink, Phantom is the one pinned down, unable to see through the mass of cream covering his head. Turning intangible, he easily let it slide off his face, Kitten letting out a yelp of surprise. The ghost sat up with a snarl, throwing a genuine scare into Kitten, and clamped a hand onto her shoulder. The crazed girl is shoved, sliding most of the way to the end, and soon finds herself staring up at a leaping, roaring pissed off teen ready to claw her eyes out.

Kitten screamed and got her legs up at the last second, catching Danny with them and flipping backward to dump his head into the punch bowl. She puts her weight in to forcing the face deeper. Kitten smiled savagely. His green eyes blaze up, something to what Vlad fondly called 'Scary eyes', and wrapped his own legs around Kitten's waist .The latter is slung over the bowl to crash into a large chocolate cake that was set on the end of the table.

Phantom pulled his head out of the punch and flung his wet bangs back. On the deck before him, Kitten lied sprawled out with cake plastered all over her hair and body. She stood up. "You... ruined.. my.. dress!" She pushed down her thumb which had been holding the button.

Robin rised and aimed the sole of one boot straight at the half arachnid. Caught flat-footed by the blow, Fang stumbled backward and tried to refocus his eyes. He moaned wearily and lost his balance, crushing one more table as he fell and knocked its balloons.

The mad blonde screamed and charged straight down the table's length, but Phantom sidestepped and prepared an ectoblast. It hit Kitten's hand, knocking the controller to the deck. She gasped as it skittered away. Robin halted it from going farther, boot stopping it in place. "Consider yourself dumped." Robin snapped the object in half with the weight of his foot.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" She screamed.

\---------------

The six titan's stood side by side at last, watching as the girl and her date were dragged into the police vehicles. "Nobody dumps Kitten! Nobody! You're going to pay for this, Robbie-poo! Your GOING TO PAYY!" She shouted, as Phantom easily flipped the girl off.

"So, no second date?" Cyborg asked, watching Phantom stomp off angrily.  
  
"You know... now that nobody's making em all mutate-y, these actually make good pets." Beast Boy stated.

"Don't even think about it." Raven deadpanned.

"Okay well... sorry we pretty much ruined your prom." Robin apologized to the paralyzed couple.

"Are you kidding? This was the best prom ever!"   
  
"Even if I still can't move my legs!" The young woman agreed with her prom date.

"Yeah. That'll wear off." As they wheeled off, spotlights appeared. "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for... the king and prince of this year's prom are,.. Robin and Phantom!" The spotlight stops on the two, Phantom looking confused on the other side of the deck.   
  
"I guess one more dance wouldn't kill me." Robin quipped, reaching out for the teen's hand.

Green eyes widened in disbelief as Robin led him in a dance across the boat, the two lost in each other's company.

\-----------------

At Titan's tower, Starfire peeked her head inside Phantom's door, curious to see what was going on inside.

"Robin, I- I'm sorry for the way I've been acting this week. I've tried to ignore the feeling- you of all people should know what it's like not to want to be attached to anyone- but, I'm tired of being alone. I'm tired of running. Robin, I know you're tired of running. I can see it when you used to glance at Starfire the way you do me. I guess.. what I'm asking is-"  
  
Robin rolled his eyes, and leaned in for a kiss, promptly shutting the boy up.

Starfire gasped, and flew off quickly, a hurt gaze lingered in her eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

Waking up _without_ Robin next to him had been a surprise he wasn't used to. The warmth wasn't there, and the loneliness slowly seeped into him. Yet, a small smile appeared on his face as he remembered the previous night. Rob- Richard's eyes sparkled, as the teen was obviously happy as well. The problem of why he woke up alone remained. _Had he done something wrong? Probably, he was a screw up, after all._ The teen scolded himself, pacing. _When had he stood up_? _Maybe I should go find him?_ As if that was even a question. With that thought in mind, the teen threw open the door, and ran into the living room, transforming along the way. There, he froze in pure fear and terror.  
  
"Hello. Did you not expect us to pay our _least_ favorite ghost a visit?" The man snarled, leveling the weapon. "If you're wondering where your little friends are, they're following a false signal out in the desert. Though, more like a trap." The man grinned, and advanced towards the frozen ghost, pointing the weapon at the ghost's head. "Such a shame they won't make it back in-"  
  
"That was awesome!" A familiar yell broke through the silence, as everyone froze.  
  
"Yeah, dude! You totally led that thing into a trap. Who knew?" Cyborg agreed.

The four Titan's walked into the room, and once turning their attention away from the mystery girl, to their surroundings, froze. Danny stood in the middle of a group of people in white suits, one gun-like thing pointed at his head, and the surrounding agents had their own guns-like things pointed at the titan's.

"Phantom?" Robin whispered. Danny did say that he was on the run from the government. But it was just hard to believe.

"Don't call the thing by it's name!" The agent yelled, and thanks to Phantom's oh so awesome hearing, the yell hurt his sensitive ears.

Suddenly, a bat-a-rang flew through the air, knocking the gun out of the agent's hand. Robin stood proudly, hand still raised from the throw. He growled low in warning. "Get out of my tower. Don't come back until you have legal orders from the president himself to extract Phantom. Until then, Phantom remains in our care under the meta human law. Leave. Now." Robin's eyes narrowed, and the agents walked out, shoving Phantom aside with a promise of returning for the teen later when he didn't have his 'bodyguards'.

Beast Boy quickly ran to the boy's side, helping the teen up. "Danny?"  
  
"I'm fine, Garfield." He whispered to the teen, assuring him. "Just a little shaken up. I should've known they'd find me sooner or later." Beast Boy trailed behind Danny, and entered the teen's room behind his big brother.

"Who was that?" Terra questioned.  
  
"Phantom. That's all you need to know." Cyborg answered, eyes glued to the spot where the agents held _his_ little brother there with a ecto-gun to his head.

"I do not understand, why is friend Phantom in trouble?" Starfire asked, head tilted in minor curiosity.

"I'll explain it to you in your room. I figure the two need some alone time." Raven led Starfire away, glancing back at Robin with a hard stare that he could clearly read. _'Don't you dare leave him alone. Go talk to him_.'

Robin sighed, running a hand through his hair as he finally made up his mind, and stood up. Walking towards Phantom's bedroom door, he paused. _Did Danny really want him there? Ok, stupid question._ He put in the code to Danny's door, which the teen had given him alter Robin kept breaking into the teen's room. Raising a hand to knock on the door, it swung open.

Beast Boy stepped out, rubbing the back of his neck. Apparently a nervous habit they had all gained from Danny.  "He could really use your support. Making him laugh isn't doing much.." The changeling scattered, probably spending time with the girl.

Walking into the room, Robin lightly shut the door, and sat down on the boy's bed as he listened to the water run.

Five minutes later, the teen emerged fully clothed, wet bangs hanging down from his eyes. "Didn't expect to see you here tonight.." The teen admitted, walking over to Richard.  
  
"Well, I was kind of hoping I could cuddle with my boyfriend." Dick pulled the teen onto the bed, curling into the younger teen. "I'm not upset, you know?"  
  
Danny scoffed. "Why not? You're in love with a fugitive."

Dick only scoffed, rolling his unmasked eyes. When had he taken them off? Now that he's thinking about it, when did he take off his costume and change into PJ's? "I don't care about that stuff. You're safe anyway. You're under the meta-human law. You're protected." Richard murmured, nuzzling the teen's neck.

"Who's the new girl?" Danny suddenly asked, obviously changing the subject as he threaded his fingers through the ebony's hair.

"Who, Terra? She just needed a place to crash. I'm not certain about her, yet." He mumbled, obviously fighting off sleep.

Danny rolled his eyes, shot a tiny ecto-blast at the light switch, effectively doing enough only to turn off the lights, then shifted into a more comfortable position, pulling the blankets over them, kissing the top of Robin's head lovingly.

\-------------------------

Waking up in the morning, Danny was relieved to see the teen still sleeping soundly in his arms. Smiling fondly, he snuggled deeper into the blankets, making sure to not wake the bird. Nuzzling the teen, he smiled. He could get used to this.

"Mm, morning.." Richard mumbled, rubbing his eyes sleepily.  
  
Danny chuckled. "Morning sleeping beauty." A grunt was all he received from the teen, and he chuckled, pulling the boy wonder closer. "Terra's training is today."

Dick groaned. "Can't we just cuddle a little longer?"  
  
Danny chuckled. "I can. You, however, have to go monitor how she does."

Dick moaned, slowly climbed out of bed, making sure to throw his boyfriend a steady glare. Fine. If he didn't want to stay in and cuddle, then he'd just ignore the teen.  
  
Huffing, Robin walked out of the room, securing his mask and suit.

\------------------

Danny chuckled watching his boyfriend walk out, and sighed, running a hand through his hair. He didn't know what to do about the whole G.i.W situation. It was... scary. Danny had to admit he was scared. He didn't know what to do with the information telling him Vlad was after him again. And if the agents were any indication, he knew where he was. He couldn't stay here... For his... family's sake.

A sigh escaped the boys lips, as he grabbed the unpacked bag. Grabbing his necessities, he threw them carelessly into the bag, and picked up a few change's of clothes. He then grabbed his hoodie, throwing it on. He silently made his way out, before stopping by the training room.

Leaving Robin- _Richard_ , was probably the hardest thing he would ever have to do. His Robin. The pretty light-blue eyes, raven black hair, cute smile.. God, he loved him.  
  
And god, his baby brother. Beast Boy. _Garfield_. The kid was so innocent. Latching onto him the first time the kid met him, playing video games with him.

Oh, man, and the fights he and Cyborg- _Victor_ , he finally got the teen to tell him his name after finding out Danny's a halfa, would do. It reminded him so much of Sam and Tucker, it hurt sometimes. Cyborg and he and bonded so much over cooking. Over all things, it was cooking. Sometimes Cyborg gave him lessons on technology, though Danny hadn't gotten very far in that department.

Raven was calm and collected, and the two didn't really talk much. Raven allowed Danny to borrow some of her books, and that was about all of the interactions between the two hero's.

Starfire had to be Danny's least favorite. Honestly, the girl hated his guts ever sense becoming Richard's boyfriend. Well, she can have her shot.

He held his hand up to the glass.

Raven looked up once feeling his presence, but by then he had already disappeared, and was out of the tower.

\--------------------------

Robin smirked as Beast Boy fell to the ground in a daze. "A little rough around the edges, but you've got some real talent there."  
  
The girl smiled. "You think?"  
  
Robin nodded in agreement. "with a little more training, you could-" His communicator cut him off, as the other titan's emergency signal's light up.

"Okay. why is everybody blinking?" Terra asked, clearly annoyed.

Robin shook his head in dismissal, and led the teens to the operation center, tilting his head in mild confusion when Danny didn't show, yet kept his gaze on the monitor. An image popped up, and Robin growled. "Slade. He's back." With a bit of typing, Robin smirked. "Got a fix on his location. Titans! Move out!" With no time to worry about his boyfriend, the titan's ran off to the coordinates.

\----------------

Flying fast, Danny wiped the tears away angrily. He wouldn't cry. He couldn't. Flying faster, Danny barely managed to read the 'Leaving Jump City' sign before he slowed, core throbbing painfully in his chest. Dizzy, he landed on the ground, sliding down the bark of a tree.

Opening the bottle of water, he took a sip before returning it to inside his bag. Rubbing the communicator in his pocket was a comfort. The team was just a call away if he had ever needed them.

His communicator beeped, and Danny almost opened it out of habit. He _couldn't_. He'd just fly back.

 _But what if they need_ \- _no_. He reminded himself firmly, taking flight once more, ignoring the painful throb of his core, and the sob's that threatened to break loose. He had to leave.

\--------------------

"Beast Boy!" The teens yelled, tossing the rocks aside.

Robin dashed to the cave-in site and started to clear away the rock. Starfire joined in on the effort as Cyborg fired his cannon across the area to ward off the enemy. Raven arrived a moment before the pile rumbled and the largest slab is lifted away by Beast Boy, now in the form of a colossal Sasquatch. He threw it aside and rubbed his head.

"You okay?" Robin asked, as Beast Boy nodded, transforming.  
  
"Where's Terra?"

Abovw, the ground starts to shake and the teens pause in their previous conversation.

Raven flew over. "We need to get out of here."

"Slade's trying to bring down the whole mine!" Cyborg shouted.

Robin paused in his response. "I'm not sure he's the one doing this."  
  
\-------------------------

After a long day, the teens sat in the tower, Robin mulling over where his boyfriend could be, until Terra's voice cut through his thoughts. He'd have to think about that later.

"Well, guys, uh, it's been real. Seriously, thanks for everything, but I should-" Terra turned to the open door, only to find Cyborg there with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.

"Don't even think about it."  
  
"Okay, what's going on?" She questioned, turning back to the rest of the Titan's.  
  
"Well..." Robin started, Cyborg continuing for him.

"..we talked it over, and..."

Starfire giggled "..we wish for you to stay here with us!"  
  
Robin smirked. "We' think you'd make a great addition to our team. We just need Phantom to agree, as well. Where ever he is..."

"So," Beast Boy snapped Robin out of his train of thought. "want to be a Titan?"  
  
"Me? Really?" She asked, surprised, as Robin gave her a communicator.  
  
"Of course, you'll need more training. I know you have trouble controlling your powers, and we can help."

Terra dropped the communicator. "You told him?!" She seethed, glaring at Beast Boy.

"I didn't!" He defended himself.

"You promised! You lied to me! You lied!" She dashed off, Beast boy attempting to catch up.  
  
"Terra, no! Wait! Terra..." He muttered slowing to a stop.  
  
Robin slowly walked up behind the teen. "I just figured it out. I didn't know it was a secret."  
  
"She didn't even say goodbye." Beast Boy mumbled.

"And she isn't the only one." Raven flew down beside them.  
  
"What do you mean?" Robin questioned, hands starting to tremble.

"Phantom's gone."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Implied sexual content in this chapter. Mostly at the end, so if you don't wanna see it, avoid it.

"What do you mean by gone?" Robin snapped, refusing to be comforted by anyone. Starfire attempted to reach out for a hug, but Robin shielded himself from her.

"He's not in the tower, and I don't sense him anywhere nearby." Raven said calmly. "He left, Robin."  
  
"No." Robin shook his head, and retreated into the shared room, locking the door, ignoring the shouts of concern.

Beast Boy's reaction was similar, though his was more upset then angry. He dragged himself to his room, curling up on his bed as a puppy, already missing his friend's laugh.  
  
Cyborg was conflicted. On one side, he knew why Danny had gone. Obviously to protect them. But then he was angry. Didn't Danny know how badly it would hurt once his friend's realized he was gone?

Raven quietly went to her room, slamming the door shut. She didn't have any time for any emotional turmoil. She had to meditate.

Starfire, meanwhile, was confused. What did her friends mean by he was gone? Clearly, he loved her Robin. Why would he leave? Thoughts buzzing, Starfire floated around the tower, deciding what to do. Then she remembered. Danny had once told her about a place he liked to go to think about things, and maybe this was where he had gone? With that decided, she left to go find her friend's missing friend.

Though she never managed to find him.

\-------------One week later.--------------------

"Nick?" He called out, walking towards the back.

"Give me a minute, DP!" Nick shouted back. Hearing a gunshot, he shook his head, folding his arms, as his friend dusted off his pants, walking out. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of his majesty joining us today?" He teased, leaning against the wall.

"What happened back there?" He tilted his head towards the back door, eyebrows raised.

"Well, the guy thought he could shoot me, and he really did try, but no worries, man. I got em' taken care of." At Danny's glare, he frantically shook his head. "Not like that! I had my guys kick him out of the bar. The dude was drunk and stirring up trouble."

Danny huffed, and decided to believe his friend. "Sure. Where's Brice? Isn't he usually here?"  
  
"Yeah. Though, he's running late today." Nick frowned.  
  
"The kid's fifteen, give him a break." Tony shouted from the other room, drawing Danny and Nick's attention.  
  
"He should've been here by now, man." Jake reminded them, as he dusted himself off. "The guy's outside, and causing trouble. DP, help a guy out?"  
  
Danny sighed, and shook his head. "The things I do for you people. Terry handling it?"  
  
"If he was I wouldn't be asking you for help!" Jake waved him off, and Danny chuckled, making his way outside while Terry struggled to drag the man away from the pole he was holding on to.

"Need any help?" Danny asked softly, walking up to him.

"From you? No." Terry snapped, growling as the man swung at him with his feet. Rolling his eyes, Danny turned the pole intangible, allowing Terry to drag the man away. Once that was finished, he came back, arms crossed.  
  
Danny followed Terry inside, grinning madly. "You're still pissed about me taking a shot for you, aren't you?"

"Terry, you know how protective DP is of us." Nick reminded..

"After two years he's still pouting?" Brice asked with a chuckle. He turned to Danny. "What's the Titan's like?"  
  
"Fanboy," Danny teased, as a light blush dusted Brice's cheeks.

"It's not my fault!" He argued poorly.

Danny went into detail which each titan was like, though left out things he knew they didn't want shared. Most of his time was spent talking about Robin, and the other's didn't fail to notice. "He's totally got a crush," Zach said, and Danny blushed green, failing to explain himself.

"Fine! Me and Robin are dating," he mumbled the last part, and the others had to strain to hear.  
  
Before they could utter another word, arguing could be heard outside. Nick sighed. "Downside of owning a bar." He muttered, as they walked off to take care of it. Danny chuckled with a smirk.

\----------------------------

"Are you sure, Raven? This doesn't look like the kind of place he'd go to." Beast Boy muttered, getting a glare from said female.

"I am. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. Besides, it's hopeless to hold onto false hope."  
  
Beast Boy opened his mouth to object, and snapped it shut. Walking into the bar, their eyes widened in surprise to see a huge bar fight. Everyone froze, staring at the two. Someone in the back chuckled nervously, and Raven glared, recognizing the person immediately. "Danny." He flinched, still holding a guy by his shirt. A guy with a black eye lightly placed a hand on his shoulder, and Danny dropped the kid, who ran out of the bar. The other's followed, only a few people remaining.

"Man, thanks for the help." A guy said, walking up to her. "Go easy on him, he was protecting his friend Terry." He whispered, before heading outside to yell at the other people.

Beast Boy's ear twitched, glancing over at the teen with the black eye, now known as Terry.

Danny sighed. "Zach, could I get an Ice Pack for Terry?" Danny asked, and the man nodded and headed outside.

"I had it handled." Terry muttered, sitting on the bar stool, the Titan's respecting Danny's privacy for now.

Danny crossed his arms, eyes narrowed. "The guy pulled a knife on you, I doubt that was you 'having it handled'." Danny snapped. Terry sighed, accepting the Ice Pack Zach had brought out, placing it on his eye. "How's Nick?" Danny asked, nodding towards the door.

"He'll be fine, DP. How are _you_? You took a pretty nasty knife wound," Zach nodded to the bloody knife on the ground, and Danny shook his head.

"It's already healing. Where did Brice and Jake disappear to?"

"They ran out like you told them too as soon as the guy pulled the knife." Zach answered. "Which reminds me, I'll go get them." Terry jumped at the chance to leave, and followed Zach out, leaving Danny alone with the Titans.

"So..." Danny started, but was interrupted with a hug from Beast Boy.

"Why'd you leave?" He whimpered, breaking Danny's heart.

"I know it's not much, but I'm sorry?" Danny wrapped his own arms around Beast Boy, and looked towards Raven. "I know you want a hug," Danny teased, and Raven finally joined in.

A cough interrupted their moment, Raven let go, Beast Boy refusing to release him, and Nick stood there with a smile, and a phone pointed at them. "Blackmail!" He taunted.

Danny chuckled. "Send me that, will you Nick?" He asked.

"Maybe," He replied, the others filing it in.

"I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it for my own eyes." Brice said, eyes wide with awe.

Jake shook his head. "At least we know he told the truth."

"Hey!" Danny shouted, offended, and then apologized to Beast Boy who winced at the shouting. It hurt his ears.

"You can let him go now, Beast Boy." Raven offered, only getting a head shake in reply.

"Beast Boy, I'm not going anywhere," Danny promised, which only made him tighten his hold.

"That's the problem," He muttered. " _I_ want you to come back. _We_ want you to come back."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "How is he?"  
  
Raven huffed. "Brooding. He refuses to leave your room."

Danny sighed in guilt, taking out the communicator. "Would he even still want me to have this?"  
  
"You kept it?" A new voice entered the room, and everyone looked up to see Cyborg enter.

"Yeah.." He muttered in embarrassment, eyes widening in surprise when Cyborg lifted him into a hug.

"Dude! We've been looking for you for weeks! You can't do that, dude!"

"Squishing me," Beast Boy said in protest, changing into a monkey, sitting on Danny's shoulder.  
  
Cyborg only grunted in acknowledgement. Cyborg let go, and turned to the surprised teens. "Who are they?"  
  
Danny chuckled. "That's Terry, Zach, Jake, Brice, Nick, and Tony." He pointed them each out in turn. Beast Boy studied the teenagers. Terry had black hair and brown eyes, his bangs covering one eye, and a bag of ice sitting in his hand. He wore a black jacket, underneath it a white shirt with tan khakis. Zach wore a simple hoodie with jeans, his hoodie having the DP logo on it. He had blonde hair, and blue eyes, and he was a bit on the muscle side unlike Terry. Jake had brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a similar outfit like terry, but with Jeans. He was a little in between muscle and little muscle. Brice wore a black and white shirt, with jean shorts. He had brown hair with blue eyes, and he had more muscle than Terry. Nick, however, was intimidating. He was tall, and had muscle. His blue eyes scanned the room more than once, and his black hair helped fill the role. He wore a black leather jacket, with the DP symbol as well, with jean pants. Tony had blonde hair and brown eyes, his plain shirt and jeans giving him the normal look. Terry looked to be around Danny's age, maybe seventeen, Zach looked twenty one, Jake eighteen, Brice sixteen, Nick twenty three, and Tony seemed to be twenty.

Nick stuck his hand out to Cyborg. "Nice to formally meet you. Thanks for everything you do for the city," He smiled as Cyborg took his hand and shook it.

"Danny's told us a lot about you. Where are the other two Titan's?" Brice asked.

"Robin's locked up in his room," Danny flinched at this, not going unnoticed by Beast Boy on his shoulder. "And Star's on her way."  
  
Starfire entered the bar, noticing her teammates, and stepped aside, revealing Robin. "What's so important that you guys had to have Star drag me-" His focus landed on Danny, and he froze. "Da-.."  
  
"I'm here, Rob," Danny soothed, not making any attempt to step closer to him.

Robin took a hesitant step closer, his cape nowhere to be seen since he didn't see the point in bringing it, and ran to Danny, wrapping his arms around the teen, almost knocking Beast Boy off. "You.. don't you dare leave me again!" He shouted, nuzzling the teens neck. Danny didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around Robin, ignoring the 'aw's' from his friends. "I didn't think you'd like this type of setting," Robin observed, glancing around, his eyes landing on the Six teens and adults standing with their arms crossed. "No offence," He mumbled.

"None taken," Nick assured. "It's nice to meet the people DP's been blabbing on about. Especially you," He nodded to Robin, a blush threatening to take over Danny's cheeks.

"Can we go home?" Beast Boy asked. "And will you come with us?"

Danny paused, looking over his friends. "All right, as long as I get to visit these guys every once and a while." He waved at his friends, who chuckled in embarrassment.

"Yeah, we can live with that." Cyborg assured, smiling as Robin refused to let go, much like Beast Boy.

\-----------------------------

Robin forcefully pushed Danny into his room, slamming the door. After the bonding with the other Titan's, Robin had to get Danny alone. "Are we still-" Danny was cut off with Robin's mouth on his, his mask thrown off.

Danny barely had time to figure out what was happening before his white shirt was thrown across the room, Richard tracing his scars. "Do they hurt?" He whispered.

"Not anymore," He assured, and Robin's mouth was on him again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be a two-part chapter!

Danny woke up, and shivered. This surprised him. He was almost never cold, unless- Danny froze, and glanced over at Dick, and blushed. _Okay, now I remember last night's_ activity's.... He mused, smiling at the sight beside him. He pulled over the discarded blanket on top of them, and snuggled in close. He lightly brushed aside a piece of black hair, and froze, letting his hand hover above the head as Dick shuffled, trying to get comfortable. Apparently, Dick had thought Danny was a pillow, and wound his arms around his stomach, nuzzling his head into the crook of Danny's neck.

Chuckling, Danny wound his own arms around the teen, and sighed happily, staring at the ceiling. _Man, I could get used to this..._ A blaring alarm startled Dick out of his sleepy state, as he shot up, running to get himself dressed. Danny rolled his eyes, throwing on a simple t-shirt and pants from the day before. Before he could place his hand on the door nob, a gloved hand reached out, grabbing his shirt to pull him in for a quick kiss, and then was released to do as he pleased.

Opening the door, the duo had to duck as Starfire flew past at fast speeds, and trailed after her, where Beast Boy sat looking nervous. "Beast Boy! What's the problem?" Robin growled.

"The Mijo and Tito Show was a rerun, so I flipped over to watch Danger Team Five. But it wasn't on 'cause there was this little blue dot and this BEEEEP. And his voice was like, "I control the vertical." Then the dot got real big, and Control Freak has taken over our TV!" He waved around as the others stared unimpressed.

Cyborg blankly looked at the TV. "Um..."

"Welcome back to Bass Nabbers. Today we gonna catch us some fish!"

Beast Boy grabbed the remote from Danny's hand. "Dude! Where did he go?" He clicked furiously through channels. "He was right there with the big face and-"

"Uh, Beast Boy? Maybe you've just been watching a little too much television." Robin advised, Danny nodding beside him.

"TV rots your brains." Raven spoke, eyes almost scanning the duo by the couch.

Cyborg nodded. "Yeah, man. When was the last time you turned off the tube?"

"Um...I think I went out to the movies three weeks ago."

Starfire blinked. "Uh, I wish to remind you that you did not actually go to the movies, but merely observed a television program about a person who went to the movies."

"Oh, yeah. That was cool."

Robin coughed, clearly irritated. "Riiiight. Look, Beast Boy, Control Freak can't be on TV. He's locked up in jail where he belongs, remember?"

The news popped up "We interrupt this program for breaking news. Authorities have just discovered that the dangerous criminal known as Control Freak has escaped from prison, and had help from an unknown accomplish.

"What did I say?" Beast Boy waved at the TV.

\-----------------------------------

"Reports are coming in from all over the city. Control Freak has been spotted on more than a dozen TV screens in the last half hour. We need to find out where he's broadcasting from and pull the plug." Robin ordered from his R-Cycle, Danny flying beside him in thought.

"We've got a lock." Raven announced.

\---------------------------------------

Inside Cook's electronics, the place is dark and quiet as the six Titans decided to look around. Inside, there were several banks of televisions on display, each showing the same soap opera.

"Welcome home, dear. Dinner's on the table. Shall I fetch your newspaper and slippers?" The woman on the TV asked, as Danny couldn't help but watch.

"Golly, hon, that'd be swell." The husband replied.

Cyborg was staring at a different tv, frowning. "But, Rebecca, I'm still in love with your reincarnated evil half-sister." The man admitted.

"Oh, Joaquim!" The girl broke down crying.

Phantom finally moved himself away, finding Robin staring at a TV with a picture of the Eiffel Tower. On the balcony, laser blasts flashed down from above and a tuxedo-clad man leapt in. The secret-agent type pressed a button on his watch, sending beams here and there to return fire, and leapt over the railing. More shots blazed from the as-yet-unseen enemy, a hang glider popping out from beneath the tuxedo jacket and he glided away easily. "I must find my pet hippo." Startled, Robin whirled around to face the source; the source was a pelican walking across a blue/green-striped landscape. "Please tell me where he went. Is he skipping through a meadow, Or camping in a tent?" Danny had to chuckle, and Robin whirled around to face him, and deflated, lightly hitting Danny in the shoulder. Beast Boy stalked past the television display, growling in annoyance. He reached yet another corner, in which a sci-fi program is playing. A young man was knocked across the deck of a spaceship and menaced by a dark figure holding what looks like a pair of parallel lightsabers issuing from a common base. The Titan sits down to watch, tail wagging and tongue hanging out eagerly, and the others come up behind as he returned to human form.

 "Dude! Clash of the Planets! This is a classic!"

 "I don't care how powerful you are, Baron Ryang! I won't let you win!"  
  
Danny grinned at the resemblance he had to Robin. "He's kinda cute." He admitted, getting another punch from Robin.

"Foolish human! Have you forgotten that I control this star system? Have you forgotten than soon I shall control the entire universe!" He yelled.

"Classic villains." Danny muttered.

"Hello!" Control Freak yelled, startling Beast Boy.  "Enjoying the show, Titans? Might as well just sit back and watch-'cause you're never gonna catch me!"

"We will find out where you're hiding! It's only a matter of time!" Robin growled.

"Who's hiding?" Control Freak wondered, grinning. He hopped away and comes up on a nearby big screen to stand in front of a refrigerator. "I'm right here!" He laughed and ran out of the picture, which flicked to static, and Beast Boy scuttled backward across the floor toward Cyborg. Behind them, the geek raced past the Eiffel Tower screen. "Or am I here?" Static. Now he moved to a group of soap opera sets, popping back and forth, and each flickers off after he leaves it.) "Or here! Or over here!" To two sets with the space cowboy show. "Or maybe here!" Static. He moved to a lone set on the floor and immediately jumped out of frame, leaving more of the same behind.

"The Control Freak is a dork, yes?" Starfire asked.

"Yes." Danny replied immediately.

"He's in the building. Find him."

"He's not inside the building...he's inside the TVs!" Cyborg shouted.

He appeared on the TV closest to Danny. Cameras were trained on him from all angles, and he is assembling a gigantic version of the souped-up remote he once used against the Titans. This massive unit is wired to the dozens of televisions that are piled up everywhere. Laughing a bit, he closes the cover and circled to the front end, where one of the buttons has begun to pulsate. "We have the technology." The button seemed to press itself, as it enveloped him in a sphere of blinding white light that suddenly grew to fill the cathode ray tube and contracts just as quickly. When it subsided, he was gone-but not for long, as his face pops up in all the screens around the unit. "Yes! Control Freak is on the air!"

"Well, that's one way to break into television." Raven quipped.

Danny snapped his fingers. "I know who his accomplice is! Technus!"

Cyborg ignored this. "He turned himself into a broadcast waveform, and now he's flipping around from channel to channel."

Robin blinked, turning to Danny. "Who is Technus?"

"A ghost who can control technology. That must be how he created that!" Danny pointed at the remote.

Robin's masked eyes widened. "Control Freak hasn't just escaped from jail. ) He's escaped from reality!"

"Uh, guys?" He called out, pointing to a room he had just discovered. "Cool!"

 "Got enough high-end equipment here to break half the laws of physics." Cyborg mused.

"With some help." A new voice entered the room as Danny's ghost sense went off.

"Technus." Danny growled, and the man grinned.  
  
"Yes! I am Technus, controller of technology!" With a flick of his wrist, the Titan's disappeared.

\----------------------------------

Danny looked around and frowned. They had been sent to a game show.

"Well, hey there, everybody. Hope you're as excited as I am, because you're the next contestants on...Quiz Monkey!"

"Okay. We need to find Control Freak and get back out of-" Robin was rudely shoved aside by the game host who placed an arm around Danny.

"All right, young man. Fifteen seconds on the clock. Each correct answer wins a fabulous prize. Zero answers...puts you in the cage with the Quiz Monkey.

A lovely young model was standing by a cylindrical. Something was covered with a curtain. It was promptly revealed as a cage that holds a large, rabid, screeching baboon-and the audience cheers wildly at the sight, while the unwilling contestant's eyes widen. "What's the capital of Liechtenstein?"

Danny scratched his head. "Uh..." A buzz went off.

"When did Hannibal cross the Alps?"

"Who even is-" A buzz.

"What was Spiro Agnew's middle name?"

Danny refused to even answer as he stood, arms crossed.  

"How many atoms in one kilogram of oxygen?"  
  
"I hate science." Danny replied as the buzzer went off.

"What supernatural being is most common?"  
  
Danny snapped his fingers. "Ghosts!"

"That is correct! You've just won...a new car!" Up goes a curtain, revealing a red convertible being shown off by another model.

Danny pouted. "I can't even drive."

 "All righty, then, Titans!"  Control freak popped up from the drivers seat. "You followed me in-now let's see if you can keep up!"  He stepped on the gas, and drove away

"Titans! Go!" Robin called out.

\-------------------------------

"In other news-" Control Freak whizzed past. "Hey!" The six heroes barrel through the studio, Beast Boy winging it as a hawk, and Robin gave the camera a very funny look as he passed last.

\------------------------

 "Boo-Yah Energy Drink!" He holds the can forth but immediately has to run for cover when the sportscar raced through and all titans except Robin and Phantom gave chase. 

\-----------------------

The fisherman hosting it has left his boat and is near the lakeshore, but Control Freak sloshed past, tearing the rod out of his hands and leaving him spluttering. "You're scaring the fish!" The fisherman yelled, the Titan's ignoring the man. As in the news broadcast, Robin is the last one through, and he again throws a puzzled look at the camera.

\----------------------

On a country road, the red convertible speeds through, knocking over a mailbox, and Starfire pulled ahead with Cyborg in tow. She carried him up and doubled back to face the crazed driver; the next move brought the two Titans down until they are barely clearing the ground, and she hurled Cyborg at Control Freak with a savage yell. He gasped as the descending shadow fell over him. Four hundred pounds of flesh, bone, and bionics slam down on the hood, denting it.

"End of the road!" Cyborg growled.

Control Freak gets his head out of the air bag that was deployed. "Tell that to them Hooten boys!" He bailed as Cyborg looks worriedly over his shoulder.

In the distance, a car sailed up off the end of a ramp that is hidden behind some bushes. "Wahoo!"

\--------------------

"I am great, you are great, y-"  Control Freak elbows him aside; an instant later, Robin and Raven are behind the interloper.

"Don't move." Raven ordered.

He sarcastically moved. "Uh-oh. I'm still moving." He goes into an ungainly ballet routine, and the two Titans exchanging a slightly bemused look. "Isn't there some word the good guys are supposed to yell to make me stop?"

"FREEZE!!" Robin yelled, Phantom now standing slightly behind him.

Bells and sirens go off, balloons and streamers rain down, and the audience erupts in cheering as the host gets up on the start of the next line. "Freeze"? That's today's Sloppy Mess Word! And you know what that means, kids?"  

"OATMEAL!!"

Phantom quickly made himself intangible, as Robin had time for one sharp gasp before a torrent of that particular breakfast food thunders down on him and Raven, much to the spectators' and Phantom's amusement.

\-----------------------

Static, then the blur of something racing along a desert highway-now the backdrop looks like a Road Runner cartoon. A freeze frame revealed Control Freak in full detail, and his name appears below, along with "Couchus Potaticus" in parentheses. After a second or two, he gradually accelerates back to full speed. Beast Boy, who has assumed the form of Wile E. Coyote. His name appears with the parenthetical notation "Animalus Switcheroonium," and after a couple of seconds he too speeds back up. As the chase proceeds, Control Freak crashed through it and stops short right at the edge of the precipice. Behind him, Beast Boy skidded to a half and advanced slowly, licking his chops. "I wouldn't stand there if I were you." Control Freak advised. A convenient anvil plunged between them, snapping off the bit of rock on which he stands. Then the entire cliff collapsed to leave Beast Boy floating without any support. He holds up a sign printed with a single word-"YIKES!"-and dropped out of sight, his body elongating comically as gravity does its thing. Control Freak, still on his little ledge, does the Roadrunner's "beep-beep" sound effect and took off running.

\----------------------------------------

Static, then the Eiffel Tower as seen earlier on some of the televisions. Tilt up to its peak and cut to the balcony, where the agent leapt in and addresses his watch-a built-in communicator. "Agent Two-Fifty-Seven to base. I have the Renaldi Device." As soon as he straightened up, Control Freak appeared out of nowhere, shoved him against the railing, and relieved him of his tuxedo with one swift jerk. The hapless agent, left wearing only his undershirt, shorts, and socks, tumbled over the edge, His scream cuts itself off sharply.

 

"Huh?" Moving to the edge, he finds the defrocked fellow hanging onto the railing. A placating grin is thrown up to the overweight twerp, who responds by taking the watch. As he puts it on, the sound of a launch is heard and Robin's grappling hook wraps around the ironwork; up comes the Boy Wonder, while Raven and Phantom rose up through the deck plates.

'Take him down!" Robin shouted.

Control Freak immediately fires a salvo from the stolen laser watch, forcing both to duck away. "Face it, Titans! In the real world, I may be just another geek. But in here, I'm the coolest!" Laughing madly, he vaulted over the railing, a shade too late for Robin, Phantom, and Raven to stop him. They watch him fall and deploy the hidden hang glider, and in a long shot of the area, he soared away as gracefully as he could.

\------------------------

Static. Scene change to a forest, the one you might see in a haunted movie. "Where did he go?" Robin asked,

"Perhaps he has flown away to some place less creepy and bad-smelling."

"Yeah. What kinda nasty old show is this, anyhow?" Cyborg asked.

"It Came From Jones Lake. Dudes, I've seen this before. We're not in a TV show-we're in a monster movie!" Beast Boy shouted, as Phantom yawned bored.

Behind the Titans, the murky water at the shore stars to bubble glutinously. As Beast Boy ducked behind Robin, something very large and black broke the surface. It stood up. it is a huge, humanoid fish creature with a very wide mouth. It advanced toward the titans, opening the jaws for a guttural roar. Robin, Beast Boy, and Raven, were all too scared to move or react. Starfire backs up to them, but Cyborg and Danny do not even blink as the reptilian beast stalked up behind them.

"Chill out, y'all! This is TV! The monster's not real, it's just some dude in a costume." It is now close enough for him to touch-but when he does so, his eyes pop in sudden surprise. "That's not a costume." He is swiftly yanked off his feet and chucked across the lake, Phantom remaining unharmed, whereupon a flurry of starbolts explodes against the head and back. Starfire threw one last shot, which the creature blocked with raised forearms; it then spits a wide beam, which she flew up to avoid as it swept across the shore. Raven moved in behind it and raised one black hand where many submerged roots rise under her control and snare the arms and legs. Elsewhere, Beast Boy has become a hawk and was descending to the shore. Within one second, he has reverted to human form, then transformed into a rhinoceros and begun a splashing charge. Just before he can connect with the monster, though, it broke free of the roots and seized him. Raven zoomed in as she gasped in shock-and then the four-ton Titan is coming right at her. There is a flash of impact, which cleared to show Cyborg walking up as the sodden girl gets to her feet.

"That thing may be fake in the real world-"  
  
"-but it's way real in here." Beast Boy finished off for Raven.

\----------------------------

Danny wondered around somewhere new he was suddenly thrust upon, doubting the other titan's realized he had disappeared. He watched in awe as two trapeze performers jumped, their younger son coming up beside them.

 _"On this day sixteen years ago, we'd like to remember Mary and John Grayson."_ The newsman said, snapping Danny out of his thoughts. What did he mean remember?  
  
" _Their young son, Richard "Dick" Grayson, is still alive today. His whereabouts are unknown."_ Danny watched in horror as the rope snapped, and Dick's parents fell to the ground, laying lifeless.


	13. Chapter 13

"Then it's a good thing he's not our target," Robin bent down, steading himself. "Anyone seen Phantom?" The other Titan's shrugged helplessly.

"Hadn't seen him since the action movie," Raven replied, dodging the monster's blows.

Robin sighed. "Split up!" He ordered. The titans did just that, disappearing into different TV channels.

\--------------------

Robin growled in irritation. "I've already told you I don't have time for this! I have to find my-"

"Aw, don't chicken' out now, mate'." He held up a rod, offering it to Robin. "The world's watching Stunt Fest to see eye-popping stunts, and that's just what they're gonna get."

Robin growled in annoyance, being declined on  any information on his boyfriend might be. "I'm not going to get- Ahhhhh!" After handing the rod to Robin, the blonde Australian proceeded to push him off the boat, equipped with skis. Robin fought to keep his balance, and glanced up. "Huh?" He muttered, as a ramp came into his vision. He screamed, desperately trying to hang on as he went over the ramp, finding himself jumping over a shark. How did he get _roped_ into this?

\--------------------

Cyborg peeked into the room, calling Danny's name. 

"Oh, Lance!   didn't mean to make you fall madly in love with me." She leaned against his chest, eyes full of tears. Honestly, Cyborg had no idea what to do in this situation. "But ever since Joaquim left with my evil half-sister-"

Cyborg blinked, attempting to push the girl away. "Yo! I don't love you! My name's not Lance, and I just need to know if you've seen a fat guy in an overcoat, or a guy with ghost powers!"

"Oh, Lance!" The girl cried out, and kissed him lovingly, ignoring the door opening and the 'What the-!'

Really, all Cyborg wanted to do was find Danny, and maybe punch control freak. Was that too hard to ask?

\---------------------

"Hello? Anybody? Phantom?" Raven called, walking into the darkened room, only equipped with two overhead spotlights. She caught a football that easily landed in her arms, and blinked. "Nice." She stated, before a bunch of football players tackled her, piling over on top of her.

"Ohhh, ouch, that had to hurt." The announcer grinned. "Lets look at the replay Chuck." The reply showed Raven holding a football, a white circle drawn around her. "You know, I'm not sure why a Teen Titan is on the field at a championship game, but this is just a great defensive play by the steels and the tigers," The reply showed the teams tackling her, a circle around them, and arrows pointing at Raven. The reply unpaused, and showed current events, where it was paused once again and a frowny face was drawn.

"Really?" Raven muttered.

\-------------------------

Raven is sprawled out among the colored bars, but she put herself back into order with the help of her "soul self." Cyborg tumbled in a moment later, evidently having gotten on Joaquim's bad side, and the Jones Lake monster comes in next. It knocks the bars aside to get at the pair, but Raven levitates a few and smashed them over its head. The farthest one to the left is grabbed and thrown by Cyborg; it bounces off the scaly hide and sails straight at the camera.

\-------------------------

 "Would you like some more flapjacks, dear?" The nice sit-com mom asked, turning towards Beast-Boy.

"Totally-I-I me.." He pauses for a moment, attempting to remember how he should act in this particular situation. He licked his palm and runs it through his unruly green hair to arrive at a more appropriate style for the time. "Gee whiz, mom. That'd be keen." He replied, easily. He grinned as the plate was set down in front of him, and wasted no time in digging in. "Oh, and you- haven't happened to see- a guy with ghost powers, did you?" He asked between mouthfuls.

The nice couple ignored him. "Say, sport, it says in the paper that your schoolmates are organizing a nifty sock hop." The man to his right reading a newspaper said, and beastboy gave him a dirty look.

The doorbell rang. "Oh! That must be the milkman." She goes to the front door and opens it-and there is the robot Seven-Gorn-Seven. It smashes through the wall. Mom lets off a scared little squeal; and out come an array of fearsome weapons, including a couple of lasers that blast the rest of the flapjacks.

"Jeepers!" Beast Boy cried out.

\---------------------------

Starfire stood, looking down on the pelican, unsure of what to do. "Oh, have you seen my hippo? He hides and I must seek."

Starfire frowned. "I cannot play. Please, do you know a strange man named Control Freak? He is big, not tall, and nasty, And known for causing strife. He escaped into the TV-"

"Hey, Star, run for your lifeee!"

A laser blast from the direction he came wipes out a tree next to her. She screamed and got her own feet moving just before the giant robot lurches in.

\-----------------------

Danny's hands lit up with ecto energy, as he fired it at the robotic monster. "What have they gotten into now?" He mumbled, dodging an attack. He then put up a shield to cover everyone in the circus tent as lasers flew out everywhere, and growled in irritation.

"I have to get him away from these people..." He paused. "What if I..." he stuck his head out of the tent, and watched in amusement as a guy got picked up by a bear, and Robin was attempting to walk in ski's. He went through the tent, as the monster followed, and rose an eyebrow as Robin punched a robot cowboy monster.

Robin looked over to where a bear stood next to a blonde dude, and the bear turned and attacked the man. Robin had finally noticed Danny's presence. "Phantom!" He called, relieved.

Danny gave him a small salute, dodging a laser. While Robin was somewhat distracted with the return of his boyfriend, the cowboy robot fired a wire that struck him in the stomach, sending an electric pulse through his body. Robin fell to the ground, and the robot took the time to advance, yet was blasted away with one of Cyborg's shots. "Thanks." Robin stood and dusted himself off.

"Don't thank us yet." Raven replied.

"We brought a friend," Cyborg finished, and another monster stepped into the ring, giant and fish like.

Danny paused from his beat down, giving his friends a once over. Satisfied that they were unharmed, he returned to fighting off the monster.

\---------------------

Everything goes pitch black suddenly, before an announcer speaks. "The makers of Azarath and Metrion are proud to introduce Zinthos." Robin, Phantom, Cyborg, and Raven run in and are met by Beast Boy and Starfire. "New and improved Zinthos gives you exactly what you need, exactly when you need it." The Outlaw and Seven-Gorn-Seven move against them and are soon joined by the Jones Lake creature.

"And because it's blue Zinthos goes with everything." A free-for-all breaks out, a misplaced shot from the giant robot blows away the creature.

"Zinthos isn't right for everyone, and may cause bloating," and Beast Boy became a bighorn sheep and rammed the Outlaw out of the picture; as he resumes human form, the villain's black cowboy hat settles on his head.

"Cramping, hair loss. disturbing visions, fits of rage, and growth of additional eyes."  Cyborg. Phantom, and Seven-Gorn-Seven fire at each other, their beams canceling out in the space between, and begin a high-powered tug of war that finally destroys the robot.

"Children under three should not be exposed to Zinthos. Do not get Zinthos wet, and never feed it after midnight. If you experience trouble meditating, stop saying Zinthos and use your ancient scrolls immediately." After the battle, the titans stood still. "New blue Zinthos."

\-------------------------

"Dude, those were three of the baddest bad guys ever-and we totally kicked their butts!" He throws the Outlaw's hat into the air, ignoring the fact they were in a dojo.

"But we still haven't found Control Freak." Robin frowned.

"True, grasshopper; but I have found you!" Control Freak called out. His clothing and accessories were now in shades of gray and black. His shoes were different, and he wore steel wrist guards as well. "And guess what? I know kung fu. Whoa."

He propelled himself off the floor for a leap that thumbed its nose at the law of gravity, and came down with a shrill cry to kick Robin away. Without touching the ground, he caught Cyborg with a spin kick that drives him into a support beam, shattering it.

Smoke trails from the boots give away the jet thrusters built into them. Now Control Freak does a spinning handstand, pushes off into the air, and dives again; Starfire prepares to let him have it, but he bounces off her head before she can fire.

Raven, standing next to her, creates a platform above herself to deflect his aerial stomp. It shatters on the first bounce, and he yanks her cloak up over her head before diving away. The onslaught ends with Robin and Beast Boy crashing to the floor at opposite ends of the dojo before Control Freak touches down, avoiding Danny attempting to grab at him.

"I'm not just some nerd you can push around anymore. Thanks to the magic of television, I now possess a black belt in Astro-Jitsu..." He hovered as Phantom swung at him. "...the Bionic Hero's rocket boots... " He created an energy ball above his head, shotting it at Phantom who quickly turned intangible, letting the energy blast pass through. "...Benthar's wristbands of power..." He reached into his coat dodging Phantom's attempted ecto-blast. "And Captain Caleel's infamous gravo-blaster!" He shouted, pulling it out of his coat, firing at Phantom. Phantom stood amused, as he crossed his arms, letting the blasts pass through him without causing any harm.

"And in English?" Raven pushed, watching with a smirk as Control Freak tried to shoot Phantom down.  
  
"He's one seriously bad dude." Beast Boy stated, eating popcorn.

"Where did you get that?" Cyborg asked, pointing at the popcorn.

"Found it." Beast Boy replied.

Control Freak slipped on a pair of sunglasses, pausing his attack at Phantom. "Hasta la vista, Titans!" He blasted off, the Titan's in hot pursuit.

\-------------

Control freak lightly touched down on a roof, though, Robin and Phantom are there in a heartbeat, the latter throwing every ectoblast he can summon, but he just yawns, having ditched the shades now, and lets his wrist guards stop the shots. The two Titans stop short and scramble to avoid the ricochets coming right back at them. Control Freak has little time to celebrate before Beast Boy tackles him as a gorilla, and both roll off the edge of the roof.

"And when the chocolate has melted, we add the snails." The broadcast is rudely interrupted when Beast Boy and Control Freak crash through the ceiling, wiping out everything on the counter. The green Titan transforms into a velociraptor and goes after the escapee, who starts shooting back at him. As the hapless chef peeks up from behind the counter, the long dinosaur tail whips his hat off. The chef gasped, pulling his hat back on, waving a white flag. "I cannot work in these conditions!"

He runs for it just before the changeling becomes a tiger and leaps at Control Freak for another go-but the rocket boots' exhaust pushes him back into the air. Within a second or so, he has turned into a hummingbird to get out of the gas streams, then a hippopotamus with the intent of flattening his enemy. A gravo-blaster beam suspends him just short of his target; he is pushed back out through the hole in the ceiling.

The pelican is looking here and there in a very hilly area, still trying to find that missing hippo-and right on cue, Beast Boy floats into frame. The pelican hugged him. "Oh, hippo, my hippo, I have missed you so!"

\---------------

Cyborg is on the run, firing his cannon back at the flying Control Freak and dodging the latter's blaster shots. He was brought up short with a gasp when the portly couch potato lands right in front of him; a moment later, Control Freak leapt across the sodden yards and lands a high kick that dumped Cyborg flat. Raven circled around, getting him off guard as he tried to follow her movement-so he does not notice the tree behind him coming under her control. As she raised it high, Robin, Phantom, Beast Boy in human form, and Starfire arrive on/around the limbs near her perch.

Raven brought her hands down, sending the mass of wood straight toward Control Freak. Instead of running for dear life, though, he hunched down and threw one fist forward to split it down the middle. The five Titans in the branches jump down and charge him, Cyborg moved in from the other direction, and he stood his ground for a long moment.

"Engage!" Control Freak yelled. The boots kicked into gear and sent him upward, throwing out huge waves that swamped everyone. When they clear, Raven was the only one even remotely dry, having created an umbrella-shaped shield over her head, and Phantom managed a shield before it hit.

"Well... At least things can't get any worse." Robin mumbled.

Phantom gasped. "You can't just say that! Murphy's law, Robin!" He scolded, though he couldn't help but grin at Robin's state.

The teens shot to attention as static appeared, and a news announcer suddenly started to speak. "This just in. Interference by the criminal Control Freak has caused televisions throughout the city to emit harmful alpha waves, which disrupt the neural pathways of anyone watching the broadcast.

"Huh?" Beast Boy mumbled, his green hair neatly combed back.

"TV literally rots your brains." He summed up.

Raven suddenly had paper in her hand, and stacked up her copy sheets. "Told you."

\--------------

"My guest tonight is Dr. Victor Payton, who has discovered the secret to world peace. Tell me, Doctor-" Danny winced when the other Titan's basically trampled over the man, and helped him up, raising an eyebrow when Robin basically shoved his face against the camera.

"Do not watch this program! It will liquefy your brain! An escaped criminal has tampered with this transmission, and it is imperative that you turn off your television right now!" He paused. "I'm serious! Stop watching this show!"

Raven got Robin's attention as she leaned in. "I don't think they're listening."

Robin huffed, and left to join the other three Titan's, Raven joining them not soon after. Once finished helping the man collect his notes, Phantom turned and followed suite, worry's floating around in his head. If everyone was watching, then wouldn't that mean the G.I.W now has confirmation of where he is, besides the two bozo's that were after him? That was not good.

"-news, escaped criminals, a handsome green heartthrob-this stuff is ratings gold!" Beast Boy shouted, allowing Phantom to come back to reality. Worry later, fight now.

Robin huffed. "If people won't turn off their TVs, there's only one way to save millions of viewers. We've gotta stop Control Freak fast!"

"But how are we to do this? Inside the television, he is more powerful than Glorthrok the All-Seeing." Starfire pointed out.

"Yeah, the dude knows everything in here."

Phantom opened his mouth to say something, though was cut off by Beast Boy. "Hel-lo? not the only one who's watched too much TV. I've wasted my whole life in front of the tube, and it's about to pay off. Come on!" Beast Boy rushed them over to a channel selecting station.

"Five hundred channels!" Robin gaped.

"And still nothing on." Raven replied.

"He could be anywhere!" Cyborg groaned.

"Not particularly, if Beast Boy is looking for what I think he is, I'm pretty sure we can find him more quicker than you think." Phantom responded, eyes scanning the channel. "He's not the only one who watched a lot of T.V."

"There!" Beast Boy shouted, pointing to a channel. "The Space Network is having a Clash of the Planets marathon. If I was Control Freak-and I am so glad I'm not-that's where I'd be."

"Please, this Clash of the Planets is-"

"-only the greatest sci-fi series ever made!" Beast Boy and Phantom responded in sync. 

"For an entire generation of fans, it's not just a TV show.  It's a way of life." Beast Boy continued, as Starfire frowned.

\------------------

Cyborg grinned, walking down the hallways of the ship. "Hey! I remember this scene. We're in the first episode of season four."

"How do you know we're going the right way?" Raven asked, eyebrows raised, pointedly looking at Phantom and Beast Boy.

"We just passed the engine core, which means we're right below the detention level-" Phantom waved his hands around as he talked, motioning to where the things where, and got cut off by Beast Boy.

"-So all we have to do is follow the main particle flux conduit to the galactic command center!" Beast Boy finished.

"Frightening. Truly Frightening." Raven shook her head. Though she couldn't blame Phantom- what's a guy to do when his whole life exploded in front of his eyes?- Then again, Beast Boy had a somewhat normal child hood. At least, she thinks he did.

"Identify yourselves!" A Robot yelled, once they turned the corner.

The five teens got battle ready, yet stood stalk still as Beast Boy grabbed Raven's cape, and stood in front of them. "You don't need to see our identification." The troops trade quizzical glances, and open fire. "Worth a shot!" Beast Boy yelled. Escaping the battle, Phantom grabbed Beast Boy by Raven's cloak, and Robin by his cape, and flew off, the other two grabbing Cyborg.

They found yet another room, the one they have been searching for, and Control Freak lit up his saber. He turned in surprise, Robin calling out their signature catch phrase of "Titans, Go!"

Not giving Control Freak another chance, Phantom fired an ecto-blast, and one shot was all he managed to get in before he had to turn intangible to avoid the powered-up saber. He drove both Starfire and Raven away and faced off against Cyborg next. The brawl moved underneath an elevated platform; he severed a pipe to release a flood of steam into Cyborg's face. Above him, Robin leapt up the wall and flinged down a handful of discs, which explosions just miss Control Freak after his last-second dive. The two race across the deck, keeping abreast of one another, and Robin smirked and threw a sarcastic wave. His opponent stares confusedly, not knowing what to make of this-and then runs flat into the barrier Raven and Phantom has erected in his path.

He lost his helmet in the fall, and she has barely taken down the shield before Beast Boy arrives. One second is all it takes him to assume the form of a roaring tyrannosaurus rex, but Control Freak claps his headgear back on, sneers, and fired a grappling hook. The line wound around the huge green snout, snapping it shut, and Beast Boy assumed human form before being yanked to the floor, the line around his lips. Phantom, Starfire, and Raven get down to it with a starbolt, Ecto-Blast barrage and a levitated computer cabinet being flung across the deck. All Control Freak can do in response is to leisurely swing his weapon, parrying every blast and heavy object that comes his way, throwing a smirk over his shoulder towards Phantom.

"Your powers are insignificant next to the power of Control Freak!" He held one palm toward a distant bank of computers-and in a display that would impress even Raven, it teared loose under his control and goes flying. Starfire and Phantom were hit full on, as is the original telekinetic, who has put up a shield to stop whatever he can throw at her. All three are left buried in the wreckage while Robin swung in, kicking the double-blade saber out of Control Freak's hand.

Retracted, it clatters to the floor by the Titan's feet as he came down in a crouch. Control Freak raised one hand effortlessly. The weapon returns to him in a moment. He extended the blades and got ready to attack, yet Cyborg is there to take up the fight before he can move an inch.

Robin flipped and somersaulted between the two, trying to buy his buddy a little time, and got his fighting staff into play. He tries a couple of swings, only to have the shaft slashed into three pieces-two half-length ends and a short piece matching the space between the double blades. In slow motion, Control Freak threw himself at the Boy Wonder, raising the saber to give him the closest haircut he has ever had or will ever have. A half-speed scream escapes the fleshy lips as he starts his descent. Cyborg started to run up from behind. The Titans' leader takes a kick to the chest, Control Freak somersaulting backwards and pushed off from Cyborg's back, driving him to the floor as well.

"Foolish snot-colored human. Have you forgotten that I am a twelfth-level space samurai? Have you forgotten that in here... I control the universe?"

Phantom stood from his place, both fists glowing in ecto-energy. "You asked for it!" He yelled, and his voice grew louder with every word. The other Titan's got themselves out of the way, as green waves of ecto-energy surrounded the room, all aimed for Control Freak. He was pushed back, dropping his saber to cover his ears, flinching in pain. He managed to take a few steps forward, before falling to the ground, his hands never leaving his ears.

Phantom finally fell to his knees in exaustion, letting up on his Ghostly Wail, as Beast Boy took his place. "No, but I've seen every episode of this show, like, three hundred times. And I think you've forgotten that a twelfth-level space samurai can be banished to the null dimensions by the Hop Joon Chant! Hop Joon Kang...Hop Joon Kang...Hop Joon Kang..."

The energy intensifies into a blinding glare, within which his image disintegrates. Lightning struck the blades near his feet on the last repetition and raised their wielder off his feet. More bolts made him drop his hands from his ears, and leave him visible as only a writhing, screaming silhouette; it takes him a moment to get a real word out. "NOOOO!!" The energy intensifies into a blinding glare. When the smoke clears, he is back in his normal outfit and confined to a square panel.

"But...but...but this is my world!" Robin and Cyborg helped Phantom to his feet. "I'm cool here! You guys can't win!"

"Dude, this is television." Beast Boy pointed out. "The good guys always win. And you are so not the good guys."

Raven turned towards Cyborg, eyes lifting up. "Please tell me you know how to get us home." Cyborg responds with a grin, a drop of sweat rolling down his temple.  

\--------------------

Danny groaned, the hot liquid pouring down his sore throat. Robin grinned from beside him. "Well, I guess this whole experience proves it really is bad to watch too much TV." Embarrassed, Beast Boy practically flattened his ears, and covered his face.

"But truthfully, we only prevailed because Beast Boy and Phantom watches too much television." Star pointed out.

Phantom shook his head. "It was all Beast Boy," He croaked, and Beast Boy perked up.

"So, there really isn't a lesson here." Raven drawled, taking a sip of her own Hot Cocoa.

"Yep, it was all completely meaningless." Cyborg agreed, coming up from behind the couch. The other Titan's laughed, and Phantom blinked in confusion. Who was the lady hanging off of Cyborg's arm?

\-------------------

"Robin?" Danny mumbled, knocking on the teen's door.

The door opened, and Robin raised an eyebrow, beckoning him inside. "You know you don't have to knock. Nothing you haven't seen before, you know?" He teased. Danny blushed, sitting on his bed. Robin took off his mask, setting it on his nightstand beside the bed, and sat next to him. "What's the matter?"

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"My parents." He mumbled.

"I saw what happened," Danny continued, nodding.

Dick nodded, hiding his face in the crook of Danny's neck. "Yeah. What... what was that back there?" He mumbled, Danny's hand combing through Dick's hair.

"What do you mean?" Danny furrowed his eyebrows.

"That glowing green energy?" Dick attempted to explain.

"Oh, my ghostly wail," He explained, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I kind of forgot I had it until today.."

"Why did it tire you out so much?" Dick questioned.

"It uses a lot of my own energy. It used to de-transform me back in the days." He chuckled, fond of the memories.

"Any more powers we don't know about?" Richard teased, yet was surprised when Danny nodded.

"No." Danny replied, laying down on the soft mattress. "Is that how you were adopted by Batman?" He questioned, changing the topic.

Richard only nodded. He fell on the bed next to Danny, curling up beside him. Danny nodded to acknowledge him, staring at the ceiling. He'll worry about the Guys in White another day. For now, he'll just relax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for not updating in a while. I will admit it was just laziness on my part. 
> 
> Until next time!


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